There's no easy way to break somebody's heart
by ethereallie
Summary: "Jackson was a beautiful dream but a dream none the less. Sooner or later I have to wake up because if I don't, life will pass me by. So now, I'm using this wonderful opportunity that Chief Hunt offered me, I'm choosing to live my life like I've always planned, this time, I'm choosing me." A songfic based from James Ingram's song. My take after the "Perfect Storm".


"**There's no easy way to break somebody's heart"**

oOo

**"_I held her close to me coz I know she break so easily_**

**_And then I told her but I knew no matter how I try to console her_**

**_She just do the best she could, but there are times the best is no damn good_**

**_And no matter how you try to be kind there's always still a part of you, you leave behind_**

**_when it falls apart there's no easy way to break somebody's heart"_**

oOo

* * *

**"_I want you Jackson...I want you..."_**

**"_Unless you can give me a reason not to..."_**

Jackson Avery kept replaying these words inside his head for a week now and the shock of April's unexpected confession is still messing with his head. After the incident with the bus explosion, Chief Hunt strictly ordered him to take a week off from work; he was not cleared for any surgery and he can only enter the hospital as a visitor. He threw a fit upon hearing the stipulations but he was forced to follow it because his mother stepped in and sided with the Chief.

"Baby?"

Jackson sighed and closed the book he's reading; "I'm here, Mom" he called out.

Catherine Avery pushed the door open and stepped inside; "How are you honey?" she asked.

Jackson sighed again and placed his book on top of his side table; "I'm fine Mom" he replied.

Catherine walked towards his bed and sat down; she turned towards her son and studied his bruised face. "Are you sure you're alright? You seem..._bothered_?" she observed.

Jackson snorted; "I'm fine Mom, really. I'm not bothered, I'm just bored. It's been a long week, I just miss cutting someone open" he replied bluntly.

Catherine chuckled and shook her head; "Baby, it's just been a week, you'll be back tomorrow" she said.

Jackson shook his head and edged towards the side of the bed; he planted his feet on the floor and stood up.

Catherine watched her son with amusement as she crosses her arms on top of her chest; "Where are you going?" she asked.

Jackson walked towards his bathroom and stepped inside; "I need a shower" he replied.

Catherine stood up from his bed and walked towards his door; "Well, I'll leave you to it."

Jackson grunted as a response.

"I'll be visiting Richard today so I'll be gone for a few hours. I already made you lunch so if you ever feel up to it, it's ready" Catherine said.

"Okay" Jackson said before closing his bathroom door.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Kepner?"

April hastily wiped her cheeks with her shaking hands and cleared her throat; she turned towards the voice and feigned a smile. "Did you need anything?" she asked.

Alex Karev furrowed his brows as he studies his friend's blotchy face; "What happened to you? You crying?" he asked.

April hopped off the gurney and straightened her lab coat; "'Course not, just tired" she lied.

Alex huffed and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "You know you're not good at lying right?"

"Just page me if you need anything" April said as she briskly walked away.

Alex followed her with his eyes and shrugged his shoulders; "Well, I did try" he said to himself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson closed his eyes as he stood under the pelting water motionlessly; he thought taking a shower will take his mind off of things but he was sourly mistaken. Memories of their past kept creeping into his mind and he can't seem to shut them out any longer.

**_*Flashbacks*_**

"_Hey..." Jackson greeted. _

"_Hi..." April replied with a smile. _

"_I am...kinda sleeping with Stephanie..." Jackson blurted out. _

_April's smile swiftly vanished as she stared at Jackson with hurt radiating from her green eyes. _

_Jackson took a deep breath and braised himself; "I was hoping that you wouldn't have to find out about it at all. But of course, it's probably gonna get out so I just wanted to make sure that you didn't have to hear about it from anyone else..." he explained. _

_April avoided his eyes and turned towards her charts; she nodded and bit her lip. "Okay" she said. _

"_Okay..." Jackson repeated her words. He tried to put his hands on her shoulder to comfort her but she moved away. _

"_I miss you..." April blurted out; she then wiped a lone tear from her eye and smile sadly. _

_Jackson stared at her, waiting for her continue. _

_April took a deep breath and shook her head; "I just—I feel like we were friends and now everything is just so..."_

"_So we can still be friends" Jackson uttered, cutting her off. _

_April swallowed hard and stared at him directly; "You know what I'm thinking about right now? Kissing you. Standing here looking at you and all I want to do is kiss you. So, no, I—I-I'm—I'm not ready to be your friend yet" she admitted shakily. _

"_You sure?"_

_April tried to smile again; "Yes, Yes I'm sure" she assured him. _

_Jackson kept looking at her. _

"_Thank you for telling me" April said. _

"_Okay..." Jackson replied. _

_April walked away._

_Jackson watched her leave._

_oOo_

"_I don't know why this one is hitting me so hard...It's not suppose to happen this way...it's not right...I can't tell him, I can't tell him..I-uh...and I can't make him feel worse just because I feel bad..." April softly said._

"_I'll do it..." Jackson said. _

"_No—no...I'll do it, I can do it...I just...I need a minute..." April said adamantly. _

"_Okay..." Jackson said while staring at his best friend's forlorn face. _

_April tried to hold it together but it was just too much; before she can utter another word, heart breaking sobs escaped her lips and unconsciously, she leaned towards Jackson, crying earnestly on his shoulder. _

_Jackson pulled April towards him and comforted her the best way he knows how. _

**_*End of Flashbacks*_**

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson snapped his eyes open and shook his head; he switched off the shower and pulled the sliding doors open. "This is insane" he murmured to himself. He stepped outside the stall and snatched his towel; he hastily dried his body and wrapped it around his waist. He stepped out of his bathroom and briskly walked towards his closet; he rummaged through his clothes and plucked boxer shorts, his Harvard hoodie and jeans. He dressed quickly and moved towards his bed; he plopped down and began pulling on his socks, he was putting on his sneakers when a loud knock interrupted him. He paused and let out an annoyed grunt; "Yes Mom?" he called out.

Catherine opened the door and peaked; "I'm just telling you that I'm heading out now" she said.

Jackson slipped his foot inside his shoes and began tying it hurriedly; "I'm going with you" he replied.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "What do you mean? You're not due until tomorrow" she reminded him.

Jackson finished tying his shoes and stood up; "I know, but I'm not working. I'll be visiting Dr. Web—Richard with you" he said with a smirk.

Catherine raised her brow; "Really now?" she challenged.

"Yes Mom" Jackson replied. He then moved towards his side table and snatched his car keys. "Shall we?" he asked smugly.

Catherine shook her head and stepped out of her son's room; "Stubborn!" she whispered to herself.

Jackson heard his mother and let out a snicker.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith was sitting with Cristina inside the Attendings' Lounge when Alex sauntered in; he walked towards the couch and plopped down.

"Hey Evil Spawn" Cristina greeted.

Alex leaned back on the pillows and grunted in response.

Meredith eyed one of her closest friends and raised her brow; "What's wrong?" she asked.

Alex kept silent.

Cristina furrowed her brows; "Did you kill someone?" she asked.

Alex huffed; "Do you want to volunteer?" he asked.

Meredith chuckled and stood up; she walked towards the refrigerator and pulled a bottle of juice. "You look bothered Alex, just tell us what's wrong" she said before popping the cap open.

Alex eyed them for a couple of minutes and sighed; "I'm just a little bit perturbed."

"Why?" Cristina asked.

Alex frowned and scratched his chin; "I saw Kepner bawling her eyes out a couple of minutes ago" he said.

Meredith walked towards the couch and sat down; "April?" she asked.

Cristina snickered; "Maybe she lost her pink notebook or something."

Alex laughed but shook his head; "Dude, she doesn't carry it around anymore" he replied.

Meredith look amused; "That's interesting, because I also saw her last night crying but I don't think she saw me. I was about to take the stairs to go down the pit and then there she was" she said.

"I wonder what's wrong with her, she's always so sunny and disgustingly happy" Cristina said.

Meredith nodded; "Maybe Matthew broke up with her?" she guessed.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen the male dorky Kepner for days. Maybe he did break up with her that's why she's bawling like a bitch baby" Alex said.

Cristina sighed; "Poor thing, even her male counterpart can't stand her" she said.

"Cristina!" Meredith chastised.

Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "Just saying Mer,"

Alex thumped his thighs and stood up; "As much as I want to discuss Kepner's troubles here I need to go, I still have to check in with some patients" he said before walking towards the door.

Meredith watched her other friend closed the door before turning to her person; "I know April gets on your nerves a lot but I think we should minimize our teasing a bit, she seems out of sorts and we're not that evil."

Cristina thought for a couple of seconds and nodded; "Okay, she's somewhat our friend. We should invite her out and get her drunk, perhaps we can pry it out off her and alcohol always helps" she said.

Meredith chuckled; "Okay, I'll tell Derek to babysit but I can't drink so I'll just hang out with you guys."

Cristina nodded before standing up; she then walked towards the door and pulled it open. "Later Mer,"

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was walking aimlessly along the lobby when she heard her name being called; she paused and turned around.

"April!"

"Dr. Avery" April greeted politely, surprise written all over her face.

Catherine moved towards her and engulfed her into a hug; "How are doing honey? And how many times should I tell you to call me Catherine?"

April chuckled and returned the hug; "I'm doing fine Catherine" she replied.

Catherine took a step back and studied her son's best friend's face; "You look tired and thin, honey? Are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

"I'm okay, just a little tired I guess and I've been on call for more than 10 hours already. But I just have another hour or two left and I can go home" April said.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "You should go home love, you look dead on your feet" she chastised.

April smiled at her mentor and nodded; "I will, I promise". She then inserted her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "You're visiting Dr. Webber, I presume?" she asked.

Catherine smiled; "I am, how is he doing?" she asked.

"He's doing fine, he'll be up to his feet in no time" April assured.

Catherine smiled widely; "That's good to hear."

April smiled back; "Well, I better go now. I still have some endorsements to make before I go home."

Catherine nodded; "Okay dear! I'll see you around" she said before hugging her again.

April patted her mentor's back; "It was nice seeing you again Catherine" she murmured.

Catherine chuckled; "It's always a pleasure seeing you April" she said.

April took a step back and turned on her heel; she began walking again when she heard Catherine call her name again, she paused and turned around; "Yes?" she asked.

"I almost forgot! Jackson is here too. He just parked his car, if you want to see him, you can drop by Richard's room. He'll be hanging out there because Owen barred him from anything that has something to do with work" Catherine said.

April stiffened.

Catherine raised her brow; "Are you alright dear?"

"Y—Yes" April mumbled.

"Are you sure? You look-paler?" Catherine asked concernedly.

April let out an awkward chuckle; "I'm alright, I-I'll try to drop by later."

Catherine nodded; "Okay, see you later honey!" she said.

April nodded and turned her back; she briskly sauntered away and turned on the nearest corner.

"She's acting more uptight than the usual" Catherine observed.

"Who's acting more uptight than the usual?"

Catherine turned around to face her son; "April, I just talked to her a couple of minutes ago" she explained.

Jackson cleared his throat uncomfortably; "Really?"

Catherine nodded; "Yes and the woman looks dead to her feet. Looks like Owen is running her ragged, she's been on call for almost 12 hours now and she looks thinner than before" she said worriedly.

Jackson frowned; "She was on call for 12 hours? That's unusual, it should only be 9 hours a day."

"I know, I'll ask Dr. Hunt, once I see him" Catherine said.

Jackson shook his head; "I'll talk to him Mom" he replied.

Catherine shook her head; "You can't baby, you're a visitor today. I'll do the talking while you stay in Richard's room" she said with finality.

Jackson sighed; "I hate this!" he groaned.

Catherine chuckled; "I know you do baby but you have to suck it up. And don't worry, I asked April to drop by later so you two can hang out together, I know you missed her, I haven't seen her visiting during your vacation and now I think I understand why" she said.

Jackson swallowed nervously; "Errr-what do you understand?"

"She's been working like a soldier in a war! I bet she's been on call every day since the storm! Stubborn woman!" Catherine exclaimed.

Jackson let out a sigh of relief and nodded; "I guess so,"

Catherine adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag and shook her head; "Come on, we need to visit Richard" she said.

Jackson didn't say anything but followed his mother.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was charting peacefully when April sauntered inside the pit looking paler than the usual; he watched her walked towards him and saw how her hands were shaking. "I know it's none of my business but you're starting to creep me out big time, what's wrong with you? Why are you so pale and why are your freaking hands shaking?" he demanded.

April stood beside him and braised her hands on the nurses' station; "I'm fine Alex, I'm just tired" she replied.

"That's bullshit Apes and you and I both know it" Alex said bluntly.

April closed her eyes and sighed; "I know" she admitted.

Alex stared at her worriedly; "What happened to you? Did Mr. Paramedic do something? Do you want me to break his nose?" he asked.

April let out a small giggle before opening her eyes; "It's not worth getting arrested Alex."

Alex furrowed his brows; "I'm serious, did he do something to you? Because if he did, I can call Avery and we can double team beating him up to a pulp" he said.

April stood straight upon hearing her best friend's name; she cleared her throat and turned her gaze towards the man standing beside her; "It's really nice of you Alex but no, he didn't do anything that will merit a broken nose. It's nothing, really, you haven't been seeing him because I broke up with him" she explained.

Alex raised his brow; "You dump the poor man after proposing to you with a nerdy dance number?" he asked.

April chuckled before hitting him on his arm; "It's a flash mob proposal Alex, not a nerdy dance number!" she said.

Alex smiled; "Whatever, it still nerdy. You can do better Apes" he said.

April shook her head and smiled; "Thanks for making me smile, it's been awhile" she said sincerely.

Alex brushed it off; "Don't mention it, _ever._"

April chuckled again and began reaching towards some charts; "If you say so" she said.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked.

April plucked a pen from her lab coat pocket and started writing notes on some charts; "I'm finishing up some notes."

Alex tugged the pen from her hand and closed the chart; "You've been working since last night, it's been more than 10 hours, you have to go home" he said.

April started to protest but Alex shushed her; "Go home Dr. Kepner, I promise not to destroy your E.R" he said with finality.

April stared at him for a couple of seconds and sighed dejectedly; "I really don't want to go home."

"You should or I'll report you to Hunt" Alex replied smugly.

April pouted but she relented; "Okay, don't tell the Chief" she said.

Alex laughed; "I won't, so please get your scrawny ass out of my E.R!" he said.

April shook her head and laughed; "Don't burn down my E.R Karev!" she said before walking away.

Alex laughed.

"You're a good friend Alex."

Alex quickly turned towards the voice.

Meredith smiled and patted him on the shoulder; "You've grown up, it's nice to see that you're not bullying her for once" she said.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "The poor woman is already down, I don't beat people who are already down. Besides, its April, she's one of ours."

Meredith smiled wider; "I know,"

Alex smiled back before turning his attention back to the charts.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"You're still healing Richard so please stay put!" Catherine said exasperatedly.

Jackson snickered.

Catherine threw her son a pointed look.

Richard rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed again; "I'm a doctor Catherine, a little walking won't harm me" he said.

"He's right Mom, stop hounding him."

Richard turned towards Jackson and smiled; "Thanks" he said.

Catherine pointed her finger at Jackson then at Richard; "I don't like this" she said with narrowed eyes.

Richard chuckled.

Owen Hunt knocked on the door and smiled at its occupant's; "Good afternoon, I'm just here to check on Dr. Webber" he said politely.

"Hunt! Just the man I wanted to see!" Richard said cheerfully.

Owen chuckled as he stepped inside the room; "I see you have some visitors."

Richard smiled; "I do, so, back to business. When can I get out of this place?" he asked excitedly.

Owen moved towards the edge of the bed and plucked his chart; "Let me see" he said before going through some notes.

Catherine crossed her arms on top of her chest and stared at the Chief; "Tell him he's not going anywhere yet, he's being a big baby about all of this" she huffed.

Owen snapped the reports closed and stared at Richard; "Well, all seems to be fine based on these notes but we would like to keep you here for another day or two. We still need to monitor your vitals, your heart basically stopped beating Webber, and that's no small thing" he said.

Catherine threw her beau an "_I told you so" _look before smiling smugly.

Richard groaned and leaned back on his bed; "Great" he murmured.

Owen shook his head and chuckled.

Jackson cleared his throat as he stood up; he inserted his hands inside his jeans pocket and stared at the Chief.

Owen turned towards Jackson and smiled; "Hey Jackson, I can see you're doing well" he said.

"I'm doing perfect Chief, so, will you allow me to check on some of my patients?" Jackson asked hopefully.

Owen raised his brow; "You're due tomorrow, your patients can wait."

Jackson rolled his eyes; "But I'm perfectly fine! All I have is this hideous bruising and I have tons of patients that I need to check into" he said petulantly.

Catherine waived her hand dismissively; "Don't let him bully you into letting him Hunt, as of today, I'm still the board member and he's just your Attending."

Owen laughed; "Well Jackson, I can't very well compete with that now, can I?" he teased.

Jackson huffed and sat back on the couch; "You people are driving me crazy!" he said.

Owen just shook his head; "Well, I better head out. I still need to head to the pit" he said before turning around.

"There's actually something I need to talk to you about" Catherine said.

Owen turned around and faced Catherine; "Do you want to go to my office?" he asked.

Catherine shook her head; "No, we can talk here" she replied.

Owen nodded and gestured for her to continue.

"I ran into Dr. Kepner a couple of minutes ago and she looks _really _tired. Are we short staffed with your E.R? Is she the only Trauma Attending available?" Catherine inquired.

Owen furrowed his brows; "Kepner is still here?" he asked confusedly.

Catherine raised her brow; "Yes she is, I just saw her a couple of minutes ago. She told me she'd be out in an hour or two, she's been here for more than 10 hours already."

Owen frowned; "But I told her to go home hours ago" he said. He inserted his hands inside his pockets and sighed; "She's been like that since last week, she kept on insisting that she needs to work and she can be on call every day."

Jackson furrowed his brows; "She's been on call for two weeks? Did she even take a time off?" he asked.

Owen scratched his chin while thinking; "Come to think of it, she's been here every day."

Catherine frowned; "Well you better do something about it Hunt, poor April looks dead to her feet" she said.

Owen nodded; "I'll get to it, thank you for telling me" he said.

Catherine smiled; "Tell her to drop by before going home" she said.

"Will do, Jackson, Dr. Webber, I'll go ahead" Owen said before exiting the room.

Richard pulled his blankets and covered his legs; "That explains why April is always around every time I open my eyes" he said.

Catherine shook her head; "She needs to rest, she still needs to prep for her boards" she said.

Jackson stood up from the couch; "I'll just get something to drink, is there anything I can get you two?" he asked.

Richard shook his head; "I'm good" he replied.

"Just coffee baby, thanks!" Catherine said before sitting at the foot of the bed.

Jackson nodded and stepped outside the room.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April just pulled her scrubs top off when Cristina sauntered inside the locker area; "Hey April" she greeted.

April turned towards her co-attending and smiled; "Hey Cristina."

Cristina began tugging off her lab coat and walked towards her own locker; "You going home?" she asked.

"Yep"

Cristina pulled her scrub top off and threw it haphazardly on the bench; "Mer and I are going to Joe's and we want you to come with us" she said.

April paused; "Huh?" she asked confusedly.

"Don't look too shocked Kepner" Cristina said. She then faced the red head and leaned on her locker; "I know we always tease you but that doesn't mean we don't see you as one of our own. Come on, a little alcohol will cheer you up and it looks like you needed cheering up badly" she said.

April eyed Cristina for a couple of seconds before she felt her eyes tearing up; "You guys..." she half whispered.

Cristina stared at her with alarm; "Whoah! No tears Kepner! We haven't even started drinking yet!"

April laughed as she wiped her eyes; "Okay, okay, no tears."

Cristina smiled a little and turned towards her locker.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Avery?"

Jackson turned towards the voice and smiled; "Hey man!" he greeted.

Alex walked towards him and stood right in front of the coffee cart; "What you doing here man? Did Hunt see you already?" he asked while eyeing the pound cakes with interest.

Jackson chuckled; "He did, I'm just here to visit Webber with my Mom" he replied.

Alex removed a piece from the shelf and handed a dollar to the coffee lady; he then bit his pound cake and turned towards his friend. "When will you be back?" he asked.

Jackson took a sip of his coffee; "Tomorrow, I already tried my luck with Hunt awhile ago but no can do, I'm just an attending when my Mom is inside the room."

Alex laughed; "You're nothing compared to Momma Avery" he teased.

Jackson laughed.

"Don't sweat it man, the hospital is not going anywhere. Well, I have to go now, I have a pit to run" Alex said before stuffing his mouth with more cake.

"Why are you in charge of the pit? Aren't you needed in Peds?" Jackson asked.

"I told Arizona that I'll take over the pit for now, Kepner has been on call for two weeks straight already, I just wanted to lend a hand" Alex said while shrugging.

Jackson frowned; "Why is she on call for two weeks straight? Are we short staffed?" he asked.

"She's not supposed to be on call every day but Kepner insisted that she wants to work and you know how neurotic she can get" he explained. He then furrowed his brows; "Don't tell her I told you this because I'm pretty sure she'll have my balls for it, not that she'd ever touch it, but, she's been a little bit..._off_ lately" Alex said with a perturbed look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I ran into her this morning and she was sitting on a gurney bawling her eyes out. Mer, saw the same thing last night apparently. I spoke to her a couple of minutes ago and she told me that it has something to do with her dorky fiancé—no, ex-fiance, she—"

"Ex-fiance?" Jackson asked, cutting his friend off.

Alex paused; "You didn't know?"

"Obviously, I didn't!"

Alex narrowed his eyes; "She just told me that they called it quits, I asked her if I need to kick his dorky ass but she told me their break up doesn't merit a broken nose for Mr. Paramedic" he explained.

Jackson just stared at Alex.

Alex ignored his friend's reaction and continued; "We're not close as you two are but her actions is worrisome, that's why I volunteered to take care of the pit for her."

"Thank you" Jackson said sincerely.

"Thank you for what?"

Jackson met his friend's gaze; "For looking after her" he clarified.

Alex waived his hand dismissively; "No need for that, she's one of our own. She may be annoying and bat shit crazy at times but she's one of us and we take care of our own" he explained.

Jackson smiled; "Thank you none the less" he said.

Alex rolled his eyes; "Whatever man, got to go" he said before turning around and waiving at him.

"Jackson?"

Jackson cringed upon hearing that familiar voice; hesitantly he turned around and waived. "Hey..."

Stephanie Edwards walked towards her beau and let out a wide smile; she moved closer and planted a soft kiss to his lips. "I missed you! What are you doing here? Why didn't you page me?" she asked.

Jackson took a step back and smiled guiltily; "I just arrived with my Mom, we're just checking on Dr. Webber" he replied.

Stephanie pouted; "You still should've paged me, it's been a week since I last saw you" she murmured.

"I'm sorry, it must've slipped my mind" Jackson lied.

Stephanie ignored his statement and smiled seductively; "I missed you...you know..." she said while drawing circles on his broad chest.

Jackson laughed nervously; "Well, I missed you too" he replied.

Stephanie moved closer; "Do you want to go somewhere private so we can catch up?" she suggested.

Jackson flinched; "As much as I want to Steph, I can't. My mom asked me to buy her a cup and she's actually waiting for me now. I promise I'll make it up to you once I'm back" he offered.

Stephanie's eyes widen; "Your mother is here?" she asked nervously.

Jackson nodded; "She's in Dr. Webber's room" he replied.

Stephanie averted her gaze and stared at her hands shyly; "Can you—can you introduce me to her?" she mumbled.

Jackson's eyes widen; he then cleared his throat and plucked his Mother's coffee from the counter. "I don't think that's a good idea Steph, she's—she's a little bit _worked up _right now and I don't think it's the best time, maybe next time?" he said awkwardly.

Stephanie met his gaze and nodded; "If you think so, I don't want to get into her bad side after all" she replied.

Jackson smiled.

Stephanie planted another kiss on her beau's lips and took a step back; "Well, I better be going. I still need to deliver these labs to Dr. Grey" she said.

Jackson nodded; "I'll see you tomorrow."

Stephanie smiled; "Bye!" she said before walking away.

Jackson watched Stephanie's back disappeared from the corner before cursing to himself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"What are you gawking at?"

April squeaked as her hands flew to her chest; "You scared me!"

Cristina chuckled as she stood beside her; "Avery's back? He's not supposed to be back, what's he doing here?"

April cleared her throat; "He's visiting Dr. Webber with his Mom" she replied.

"I see" Cristina said. She then turned her gaze towards April and raised her brow; "Then why are you watching him from here like a stalker?" she asked.

"I'm not a stalker! I just arrived and then I realized that I still need drop by the pit and give Alex some instructions and I just happen to see him standing there with Edwards and then I realized I really have to go see Chief Hunt because he paged me and I'm just about to go there to meet him and then you showed up and I'm about to leave, yep, I need to leave, I'm leaving now" April mumbled, clearly flustered.

Cristina stared at her for a couple of seconds and burst out laughing; "You're mumbling again Apes and you're explaining like you're being interrogated for your life" she teased.

April felt her face redden with embarrassment; "I'm sorry..."

Cristina patted her shoulder; "Stop apologizing, go now and do your stuff. We'll meet you by the exit, I'll just check if Mer's already done for the day" she offered.

April nodded; "O-okay. See you in a bit" she said before turning towards the elevators.

Cristina watched the red head and shook her head; "She needs alcohol, lots of it" she said to herself with a smirk.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Come in!" Owen Hunt yelled.

April pushed the door open and peaked inside; "Hi Chief, you paged?" she asked.

Owen raised his gaze from his tab and smiled; "Kepner, come in and take a seat" he said.

April stepped inside and closed the door behind her; she walked towards his desk and sat on the chair in front it.

Owen placed his tab in front him and studied the attending that's sitting in front of him; Catherine Avery was right, she looks tired and somewhat thinner than before. "How are you doing April?" he asked.

April's eyes widen, not expecting his question. "I'm fine Chief...err...did you need anything?" she asked nervously.

Owen leaned back on his chair and raised his brow; "I've been checking our E.R schedule for the past two weeks and I noticed that you've been on call every single day since the storm."

April bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze; "I—err—I..." she mumbled.

Owen gauged her reaction and started to construct his words carefully; "I appreciate your dedication and I know how you love your work—"

"Oh god! You're going to fire me!" April blurted out, horror written all over her pale face.

Owen looked affronted; "What? Of course not!"

"Oh"

Owen shook his head; "Back to what I'm saying, I appreciate your dedication and I know how you love your work _**BUT**_ I'm starting to worry about you and your health. You look so pale and thin, and you don't seem to be having enough sleep based from the bags under your eyes" he said. He then leaned forward and placed his clasped hands on top of the desk; "You're boards are coming up and I want you to take it easy. Don't get me wrong, I'm confident that you'll ace it this time but you can't do that if you're too tired to even take it."

April met her mentor's gaze and winced; "I'm sorry Chief, I didn't mean to freak out like that" she said ruefully. She then sat straighter and smiled sadly; "I'm not over working myself on purpose...It's just that I have a lot of things in my mind right now and work helps me..._cope_. But don't worry about me, I'm studying for my boards and I assure you that I'll pass it this time."

Owen smiled; "I know you will, that is why, I'll be giving you some time off work for a much needed R&R" he said.

April groaned; "Do I really have to?"

Owen chuckled; "You've been working 14 days straight Kepner and a time off is due. Now, when would you like to plot your time off?" he asked with finality.

April bit her lower lip and thought about Owen's question; she then remembered that Jackson will be returning to work tomorrow and with that, her decision was made instantly. "I'll take it tomorrow Chief."

Owen looked at her with approval; "Perfect."

April smiled at her mentor; "It settled then,"

Owen nodded; he then grabbed his tab from the table and began tapping it on the screen. "So, today is Sunday, so...you'll be back Thursday. Perfect" he said to himself.

"Err-that would be Tuesday Chief," April corrected.

Owen tore his eyes from his tab and stared at her; "Thursday, you've got three days off" he simply said.

April's eyes widen in horror; "But—but why?"

"You also didn't take your time off before the storm Kepner, so that makes 21 straight working days in which 14 days out of it you were on call. It's not normal and I'm your Chief so you'll have to do what I say" Owen said with finality.

April opened her mouth to argue but closed it again; she then let out a defeated sigh and stood up. "Okay then, thank you Chief."

"Don't sound so disappointed, I'll see you in three days."

April nodded and walked towards the door; she pulled it open and stepped outside.

"Kepner!" Owen called out.

April stopped in her tracks and turned towards her mentor; "Yes Chief?" she asked.

"Dr. Catherine Avery asked me to tell you to stop by Dr. Webber's room before you go home" Owen said with a smile.

April grimaced; "But I just saw her awhile ago, did she say if it was important?" she asked.

Owen shrugged his shoulders; "I'm not sure but you better head there," he said.

April let out a defeated sigh and nodded; "Okay, see you on Thursday, Chief" she said before closing the door behind her.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith was just closing her locker when Cristina barged inside; "Mer are you here?" she called out.

Meredith grabbed her jacket from the bench and walked towards her friend; "I'm here, where's April?" she asked.

"Owen paged her so I told her that we can meet her up at the exit."

Meredith nodded; "Okay, let's go then" she said.

Cristina nodded and moved towards the door; she pulled it open and was surprised to see Jackson standing before her. "Avery?" she asked confusedly.

Meredith peaked from Cristina's back and smiled; "Hey Jackson, how are you?" she asked.

Jackson smiled; "Good as new."

Cristina smirked; "I can tell, I just saw you near the coffee cart awhile ago, with Edwards. Looks like your back on your game lover boy" she teased.

Jackson cringed; "It's nice to see you too Yang."

Meredith laughed; "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here."

"I'm just dropping by, I'm just waiting for my mom to finish her rendezvous with Dr. Webber" Jackson drawled.

"He'll be discharged soon, so, you don't have to watch them for long" Meredith said while patting his arm comfortingly.

Jackson grunted.

"I'm sorry to cut this chitchat short but we have to go Mer, we don't want Kepner bailing on us before we can pry the truth out of her with alcohol" Cristina said while looking at her phone.

Jackson's eyes widen in surprise.

"April has been off her game lately and we just want to cheer her up a bit" Meredith explained.

Cristina huffed; "Off cannot describe her craziness lately, she's been working like a race horse but she walks like a zombie" she said. She then narrowed her eyes at Jackson and stared at him inquisitively; "You're her person, did she tell you what's bothering her? She's acting weirder than usual and its kind off alarming."

Meredith stared at him too.

Jackson avoided their gaze and cleared his throat; "I don't have any idea, I haven't talked to her yet" he admitted.

"This is new, you're practically attached to the hip" Cristina observed.

"Did you guys fight?" Meredith asked.

Jackson shook his head and lied; "No we didn't."

"Then you better talk to her so she can start shooting rainbows again. I prefer the annoyingly happy Kepner than the sulking _stalkerish_ one" Cristina said.

"_Stalkerish_?" Meredith repeated.

"Ignore that, I didn't mean that one."

Meredith threw her an unconvinced look.

Cristina rolled her eyes and inserted her hands inside her jeans pockets; "Okay fine. I said it because I caught her standing like a fish out of water near the coffee vendor a couple of minutes ago. I called it _stalkerish_ because she was staring at Avery and Edwards like they stole her favourite pony."

Jackson gritted his teeth and mentally swore.

"Oh" Meredith said.

Cristina waived her hand dismissively; "But don't worry about it, I'm sure it was nothing. We'll just cheer her up with tequila and she'd be shooting rainbows and butterflies again before the night ends" she said.

Meredith turned towards Jackson and smiled; "Well, we better go, looks like we have a lot of cheering up to do. See you tomorrow."

Cristina cackled; "This would be a fun night" she said. She then turned towards Jackson and nodded; "See you tomorrow."

"You guys have fun"

"Will do" Cristina said before walking.

"Night!" Meredith said.

The two surgeons we're almost at the end of the corridor when Jackson called out to them again; "By the way, thank you for looking after her while I'm gone" Jackson said with gratitude.

Meredith turned and smiled at him; "Like what Alex said, she's one of ours, so, there's no need to thank us."

"Don't worry much Avery, we'll take good care of your best friend" Cristina said.

Jackson smiled and nodded.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April took a deep calming breath as she stood in front of Dr. Webber's door; she's having second thoughts about knocking but before she can even contemplate about bailing the door was yanked open.

"April honey! What are you doing just standing there?"

April smiled nervously; "I just came here to tell you that I'm about to leave."

Catherine pulled the door wider and ushered her inside; "Look who's here!" she said happily.

"Dr. Kepner" Richard greeted her with a smile.

April stepped inside awkwardly and smiled; "Hello Dr. Webber" she replied.

Richard studied his former chief resident's appearance and furrowed his brows; "Catherine was not exaggerating, you do look tired...really tired" he observed.

April opened her mouth to speak but Catherine beat her to it; "I told you I'm not exaggerating, you just don't believe me!" she huffed.

Richard shook his head and chuckled; "Well, this time you're right" he acquiesced.

Catherine turned towards April; "Are you about to go home honey?"

April nodded; "Yes I am, but I'll be meeting up with Yang and Grey first. We have ladies night."

Catherine clapped her hands excitedly; "That's good honey, you need to relax. Like what I always tell you, you need loosen up a bit, you're too uptight" she said, emphasizing the last word.

April's face flushed in embarrassment.

Richard patted Catherine's hand; "Don't embarrass her," he chided. He then turned towards the young attending and smiled; "How's Mr. Taylor?"

Catherine raised her brow as she turned towards her beau; "Who's Mr. Taylor?" she asked confusedly.

"April's fiancé" Richard replied nonchalantly.

Catherine's eyes widen in surprise; she then turned towards the red head surgeon. "You're getting married?" she asked incredulously.

April laughed nervously; "Err—actually-I—" she stuttered.

"Did Jackson know about this? Why didn't he tell me? And you! You didn't even tell me!" Catherine cried, eyes radiating with hurt.

April opened her mouth to explain but Richard spoke first; "I'm sure Jackson didn't mean not tell you, it must've slipped his mind and I'm sure April is the same way" he said smoothly.

April nodded; "Yes that's true."

Catherine narrowed her eyes before letting it drop towards April's hand; "If you're engaged, where's your engagement ring honey?"

April licked her lips anxiously before confessing about the situation; "Err-I _was _engaged...but Matthew and I broke up a couple of days ago so I returned his ring..."

Richard's eyes widen in surprise; "You two broke up?"

April fixed her gaze on her shoes and nodded.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry to hear that...Are you okay?" Catherine asked worriedly.

April nodded; "I am..."

Richard sighed; "I'm sorry to hear that..." he said.

April squared her shoulders and forced a smile out before looking at the couple; "I-it's okay, we both know it wouldn't work out anyway. Thank you for your concern" she said sincerely.

Catherine moved towards her and pulled her into a motherly hug; "Stop thanking me, you're like a daughter to me so of course I'd be concern about you" she said.

April face softens as she returned the hug with the same vigour; she then pulled away and took a step back. "I want to stay longer and chat with you two but Mer and Cristina is waiting for me."

"You won't wait for Jackson?" Catherine asked.

April shook her head; "As much as I want to I can't. I'll just catch up with him once he's back."

Catherine nodded; "Okay, I'll just tell him that you dropped by" she acquiesced.

April smiled anxiously; "Well, I better go now. Get well soon Dr. Webber and I'll see you soon Catherine" she said before turning on her heel and exiting the room in a breeze.

Catherine watched the red head surgeon scurry out of the room with interest; she then shook her head and turned towards her beau. "Did you know if Jackson and April had an argument?" she asked.

Richard scratched his chin; "I don't think so, why?"

Catherine sat at the foot of the bed and placed her hands on top of her lap; "Because April is acting weirder than the usual every time I mention my son's name and Jackson looks bothered ever since his accident" she said.

"You're reading into their action too much"

"She just bolted out of this room like her heels were on fire after I asked if she'll be waiting for my son." Catherine then raised her brow and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "And isn't it peculiar that my son forgot to mention that his best friend is getting married when he normally updates me about life changing things around here?"

Richard thought for a couple of seconds and nodded in agreement; "You have a point" he admitted.

"My thoughts exactly"

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Did you run a marathon Kepner?" Cristina asked.

April hunched forward and braises her hands on her knees; "Sorry—had to drop by Dr. Webber's room after—I—spoke to the Chief" she answered in between pants.

Meredith laughed; "So you ran all the way?" she asked.

April breathed a lungful of air and nodded.

Cristina rolled her eyes; "Well, you didn't have to, we just got here ourselves."

April fixed her jacket and turned towards Meredith with a smile; "Post op ran long?" she asked.

"Nope, we ran into Jackson so we stopped by and chatted for a little bit" Meredith replied.

April's smile vanished quickly; "Oh."

Cristina threw a knowing look and mouthed "See what I mean?"

Meredith eyed the red head and patted her on the back; "Come on, let's get this show on the road."

April nodded; "Okay."

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson pushed the door open and stepped inside Richard's room; he walked towards his mother and handed her a cup. "Here's your coffee Mom" he said.

Catherine accepted it; "What took you so long?" she asked.

Jackson walked towards the couch and plopped down; "I ran into Karev, then Grey and Yang, chatted a bit" he explained.

"You just missed April, she was just here a couple of minutes ago" Catherine said while studying her son's face.

"Oh." Jackson muttered. He then avoided his mother's gaze and leaned towards the table, busying himself with the medical magazines on top.

Catherine turned towards to Richard and threw him a knowing look; she then stood up from her perch and moved towards the couch. She sat down beside her son and placed her coffee on top of the table; "Baby?" she asked.

Jackson grabbed a magazine and began flicking its pages randomly; "Hmmnn?"

"Did you and April fight?"

Jackson's hand stilled; "No, why? Did she tell you anything?" he asked stiffly.

Catherine shook her head; "Well she didn't but if I'm basing it from your reaction now, there's definitely something" she said.

Jackson closed the magazine and sighed; "We're fine."

Catherine raised her brow; "Really? Because she's acting the same way as you're acting right now. She took off as soon as I mentioned your name" she said.

Jackson frowned and turned towards his Mother; "Huh?"

Catherine leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs; "It's true, we were talking about her engagement, well, none existent engagement and she seemed fine, but when I mentioned your name she fled."

Jackson looked pensive.

Catherine pushed on; "Talking about engagement, why didn't you tell me?"

Jackson shrugged his shoulders; "I forgot, I guess."

Catherine threw Richard a knowing look and smiled; "April wasn't able to give us much details but Richard here, told me that it was a nice proposal...did you see it?" she prodded.

Jackson snorted and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "It's hard not see it, when the dorky paramedic made this hospital a spectacle with his mob dancing around the place" he huffed with annoyance.

Catherine smiled triumphantly and moved her gaze towards her sulking son; "He proposed with a dancing mob? That is so sweet!" she fake-gushed.

Jackson sneered; "He asked Hunt to pull April out of her surgeries that will help her with her boards, that's not sweet, that's selfish."

Catherine nodded and feigned agreement; "If you say so..."

Jackson turned his eyes towards the table and stared at it darkly.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith cringes as she watches April threw back two shots of tequila simultaneously; she then turned towards Cristina and leaned forward. "Do you think this is a good idea?" she asked worriedly.

Cristina turned her gaze towards the bar and smirked; "Don't worry, we'll pull her out before she get's alcohol poisoning" she said.

Meredith rolled her eyes before sipping her club soda; "Here she comes" she mumbled.

April hobbled towards them with a huge smile; she placed her new acquired glass on top of their table and sat down. "Thank you for taking me out ladies," she said cheerfully.

Cristina threw Meredith a triumphant look and turned towards April; "You having fun?" she asked.

April chortled happily and nodded; "Yeah, feels good" she replied.

Meredith cleared her throat and stared at the red head directly; "Ready to talk yet?" she asked.

April's smile quickly vanished as she focused her gaze on the glass between her hands; after letting out a shaky breath she moved her gaze towards the general surgeon right in front of her. "Do you really want to know?"

"She wouldn't have asked if we didn't," Cristina replied.

April threw Cristina a look and tried hard to fight the incoming tears that's blurring her vision; "Matthew and I broke up" she half whispered.

Meredith's eyes widen in shock; "But you were just engaged a couple of days ago? Why?"

April licked her lips anxiously before taking a sip of her drink; "I-it wouldn't have worked out so I ended it..." she muttered.

Cristina threw April a baffled look; "But he's like you're male counterpart, your "_mint-to-be_", isn't that what you want?"

Meredith nodded in agreement.

April let out a sob before burying her face into her hands.

Cristina stared at Meredith with alarm as she patted April's back somewhat awkwardly.

Meredith stared at their friend sympathetically; "If you love him this much that it's making you this miserable, then tell him you didn't mean it and ask him for a do-over" she suggested.

April pulled her hands away from her face and shook her head; "That's the problem...he's not the one making me this miserable..." she admitted wearily.

"Oh" Meredith gasped in surprise.

Cristina sighed and said one word; "Avery."

April turned her blotchy face towards the Cardio Surgeon in shock; "How did you?" she asked between tears.

Cristina pulled her hand away from April's back and cringed; "I actually didn't but you just confirmed it" she said sheepishly.

"Oh" April said before dissolving into tears again.

Meredith winced at Cristina and turned her attention back at the sobbing surgeon; "You love Jackson then?" she asked.

April hiccupped but was able to nod.

Cristina stared at their friend with remorse and asked; "Did you tell him how you feel?"

April sniffed; "After the bus exploded-I thought he died-I was so scared-that's when I-re—realized that I'm still in love with him—that I've always been in love with him—" she admitted between sobs.

Meredith moved her hand towards April's arm and squeezed it comfortingly.

April swallowed the lump in her throat and continued; "I told him that he's the one I want to be with but he just kept on repeating that I'm getting married...I-I told him I'm not if he can give me a reason not to..."

"What did he say?" Cristina asked.

Tears ran down April's blotchy face as she stared at Cristina directly; "Nothing."

Cristina stared at April with a perplexed look; "Nothing?" she clarified.

April burst out laughing; "He said nothing. Funny right? I stood there like a desperate idiot telling him that I'm choosing him if he can give me a reason to but he just looked at me like I'm crazy" she said bitterly.

"Did you talk with him after that?" Meredith asked.

"I just begged him Mer and he just stared at me like I didn't have to choose in the first place because he was never an option, what's there to talk about? I already got my answer..." April said sadly.

Cristina thought for a moment before speaking; "I think you should still talk to him, maybe he didn't answer because he was just caught off guard with your confession"

Meredith nodded in agreement with Cristina.

April shook her head adamantly; "There's nothing left to talk about. He seems happy with Edwards, I just saw them kissing in the middle of the lobby this afternoon" she said. She then sat straight and grabbed her glass; "I just wish that he hadn't stared at me with pity when I confessed, maybe the rejection would've hurt less" she said before taking a sip.

Cristina's eyes widen; "Aha! So that's why I caught you staring at them like they stole your pony!" she exclaimed.

April coughed as she turned her gaze towards Cristina; "A pony? Really?" she said, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

Cristina smirked; "Don't tell me you didn't have a pony in your farm Kepner, I'd be appalled!" she jested good-naturedly.

April burst out laughing as she wiped her blotchy cheeks; "I did have a pony Yang, her name is Bessie and I don't use her name for my passwords" she joked.

Cristina laughed; "Touché!"

Meredith shook her head, a large smile playing on her lips.

April sniffed and plucked her half empty glass from the table; she raised it right in front of her and threw her friends a look. "To the world's awesomest surgeons and friends!" she said.

Meredith raised her glass; "Cheers!" she said.

Cristina smirked as she clinks her glass with April's; "To dead ponies and to a douchey best guy friend!" she jeered.

April burst out laughing and toasted to her friends.

* * *

oOo

* * *

It was Jackson's first day back at work and he inexplicably felt nervous; he still doesn't know what to do with April's confession and he's definitely not sure how that would affect their interaction. Deep down he knows that he's in love with her too but he can't seem to push his hurt away, which makes it much harder. He knows that he needs to talk with her soon but he's still too messed up to think of what to say, there's also Stephanie to consider.

"Welcome back Jackson!" Callie Torres greeted his co-board member brightly.

Jackson smiled; "Good Morning Callie, it's good to be back" he replied.

Callie smiled; "How's your arm?"

Jackson flexed his arm to show off; "Good as new, thank you for fixing it by the way" he said.

Callie waived her hand dismissively; "It's nothing, so, why are you standing here like a lost boy on his first day of classes?" she teased.

"I'm not."

Callie chuckled as she continued walking; "Whatever you say Avery, whatever you say. So, where you heading?" she asked

Jackson followed her lead and began walking towards the elevator; "Hunt's office, I need him to clear me for surgeries" he replied.

Callie pressed the elevator button and stood right in front of it; "Well, I'm heading the same way. I need to ask him if I'm in charge of the pit today" she said.

Jackson furrowed his brows in confusion; "Why are you handling the pit today?"

Callie shrugged her shoulders; "Kepner's off today, Karev told me that he wouldn't be in until noon, so I'm taking over" she explained.

"Oh" Jackson said.

Callie stepped inside the elevator and waited for Jackson; she raised her brow when he stood frozen on the spot. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head and cleared his throat; "Yes I am" he replied before stepping in.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The day was dragging slowly than what Jackson preferred; he's been in and out of minor surgeries the whole morning and he's really tired. He was walking towards the Attendings' Lounge with his eyes glued to his tab when he unexpectedly bumped into someone; "Sorry!" he automatically said.

"Jackson?"

Jackson flinched upon hearing her voice; "Hey Steph" he greeted sheepishly.

Stephanie crossed her arms on top of her chest and glared at the man standing before her; "So it's true, you're back" she said.

Jackson winced; "I'm sorry I didn't call or page you. I was in and out of surgery in last couple of hours, as a matter of fact, I just stepped out of the O.R." he explained.

Stephanie raised her brow and started tapping her foot impatiently.

Jackson met her gaze and sighed; "It's true. I'm sorry if I didn't let you know sooner" he said.

Stephanie sighed before moving closer; she then wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his neck. "I just miss you..." she whispered.

Jackson closed his eyes tightly as he returned her hug; _"You're a douche bag Jackson Avery, a douche bag" _he thought.

Stephanie pulled away and offered a small smile; "I forgive you" she murmured before kissing his cheek.

Jackson smiled back; "Thank you" he replied.

Stephanie took a step back; "Well I better go, I need to take these scans to Dr. Torres, I'll see you later?" she asked hopefully.

Jackson nodded; "Okay" he replied.

Stephanie threw him another smile before walking away.

Jackson let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"Dozing off in the middle of the hallway Avery?"

Jackson's eyes snapped open; "Hey Mer" he greeted.

Meredith smiled; "Busy morning?" she asked before pushing the door open.

"You have no idea," Jackson replied.

Meredith stepped inside the Lounge and walked towards the fridge; she pulled it open and grabbed a bottle of grape juice. "Monday is supposed to be a slow day but nope, not today" she said.

Jackson walked towards the table and placed his tab on top of it; he then pulled the chair out and sat down. "It's not even noon and I'm already tired" he replied.

Meredith chuckled before taking a sip from her drink.

Jackson stared at the table for a couple of seconds before he cleared his throat loudly.

"Err-What?" Meredith asked.

Jackson took a deep breath before meeting her gaze; "How did it go last night?" he asked.

Meredith raised her brow; "What do you mean?" she asked before pulling a chair and sitting.

Jackson scratched the back of his neck nervously; "Did you guys get drunk?" he asked.

Meredith took another sip of her drink and shrugged her shoulders; "Cristina and April was pissed drunk for sure" she said with a chuckle.

"Did you take them home?" Jackson asked carefully.

Meredith studied her friend's expression; "I remember dropping Cristina off and -"

"What happened to April? Did you guys drop her home first?" Jackson asked somewhat agitatedly, cutting his friend off.

Meredith smirked; "Why so work up Jackson?" she drawled.

Jackson swallowed hard and sat straighter; "It's just that April is a sleeper when she's had too much drink and I'm just worried that she might've slept in—in inappropriate place" he said lamely.

Meredith stared at him for a couple of seconds before bursting out laughing.

Jackson glared at his co-attending; "Why are you laughing?" he demanded.

Meredith shook her head; "I'm laughing because you're acting SILLY! Of course we took her home, of course we made sure she's inside her apartment before we left. Do you think we'll just dump her and leave her dry after she just confessed her feelings?" she said condescendingly.

Jackson's jaws tighten but he kept silent; he lowered his gaze onto the table and stared at it guiltily.

Meredith immediately felt bad after seeing Jackson's reaction; she took a deep breath and slowly moved her hands towards his arm, squeezing it apologetically. "I'm sorry...that was a low blow. I don't have the right to say those things because I don't know the whole story between the two of you. It's just that it's hard not taking her side when she's been crying her eyes out the whole time we we're drinking..." she explained.

Jackson let out deep sigh and shook his head; "It's okay, I deserved that..." he whispered.

Meredith pulled her hand away; "You should talk to her you know, she's taking your silence as a rejection. She told us last night that she'd rather have you say it to her face than you not saying anything at all" she said.

Jackson clenched his fist tightly and met Meredith's gaze; "I want to talk to her but I just don't know what to say to her..." he admitted.

"Do you love her too?"

Jackson quickly averted her inquisitive gaze and began fidgeting in his seat; he took a deep breath before letting out a nervous chuckle.

Meredith watched her friend's reaction and smiled; "Scratch that, you're in love with her" she concluded.

"I am..." Jackson affirmed shyly.

Meredith rolled her eyes; "Then why the hell did you not tell her?" she asked.

"It's complicated...April and I, we're complicated" Jackson replied.

"I'm not asking for a _Facebook_ status Jackson"

Jackson chuckled; "Well that's what we are at the moment," he replied.

Meredith was about to open her mouth to chastise him further but her pager went off; she quickly pulled it from her pocket and read the message. She hastily stood up and took a swig of her juice; "Later, I need to run to the pit. Torres paged me 911" she said.

Jackson nodded; "Okay" he replied.

Meredith quickly ran towards the door and left Jackson alone.

Jackson leaned back on his chair and sighed for the nth time.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Cristina ran into Meredith on her way to the pit; she turned towards her person and raised her brow. "Did Torres page you 911 too?" she asked.

Meredith nodded; "She did" she replied.

"I wonder why."

Meredith shrugged her shoulders; "Let's find out then" she said before pushing the E.R. doors open.

"Grey, Yang!" Callie called out to them while was standing in front of a secluded bed that's covered in curtain.

"What's the 911?" Cristina asked while Meredith stared at Ortho Surgeon confusedly.

Callie pulled a portion of the curtain partially, just enough to reveal a groaning April Kepner on the bed; "This is why I paged you" she said.

"Kepner?" Cristina asked as stepped inside the closed area.

April winced; "Hey...I just need some fluids to flush out the alcohol last night nothing big" she groaned.

Callie ushered Meredith inside the enclosed space before pulling the curtain close behind them again; "She walked in just a couple of minutes ago and she's complaining about severe abdominal pain and puking. I need to know what you guys ate last night because she's being stubborn and she won't even let me examine her" she said, frustration evident in her voice.

Meredith moved closer to the bed and wordlessly plastered her palm on April's forehead, checking her temperature.

"Hey!" April protested.

"She's a little bit warm" Meredith said. She then moved her hands towards the red head's stomach and began prodding; "Stay still April" she chastised when the Trauma Surgeon began squirming and pushing her hands away.

Cristina watched in amusement as she crosses her arms on top of her chest; "We ate some burgers from Joe's and we drank lots of alcohol, tequila mainly" she replied.

"Ouch!" April yelped in pain.

Meredith took her hands off; "Looks like its appendicitis but we need ultra sound to confirm it" she said.

Callie rolled her eyes; "Stubborn as a bull" she murmured to herself.

April wrapped her arms around her tummy and groaned; "This can't be happening to me! It's the first day of my time off and I'm planning on lounging on my couch all day watching chick flicks!" she whined.

Cristina laughed; "It's not too late to go home and wait for your death Apes,"

April huffed.

Callie peaked from the curtains and called one of her interns; "Ross! Come here!" she shouted.

Ross immediately ran towards his Attending and smiled; "What can I do for you Dr. Torres?" he asked.

"Get me a portable ultrasound and prep O.R. 3 for me" Callie barked orders.

Ross nodded; "I'm on it" he said before scampering away.

Callie closed the curtain again and stared at April pointedly; "We would take your appendix now whether you like or not Kepner so suck it up" she said.

April stared at Callie sheepishly; "I'm sorry Torres, I didn't mean to be difficult..." she said before wincing.

Callie turned her eyes towards the other two Attending; "Which one of you will do the appy?" she asked.

"Who do you want to do the honours of cutting you open?" Meredith asked April.

Cristina snickered while Callie watched them amusedly.

April was about to open her mouth when they heard Ross clearing his throat from the other side of the curtain; "Err—Dr. Torres? I already have the ultrasound here and I'm about to book O.R 3" he said.

Callie turned towards the curtain and slipped her hand between the drapes; "Give it here and thank you" she replied.

Ross handed ultrasound; "is there anything else?" he asked.

Callie grabbed the apparatus; "No, thanks!"

Cristina raised her brow; "Can someone tell me why we're hiding behind closed curtains?" she asked.

Callie rolled her eyes; "Why don't you ask little red?" she said while tinkering with the machine.

April laughed; "It's my fault, I didn't want people to see me groaning like a bitch baby."

Meredith chuckled; "Never expected you'd end up as a patient on your first day off, huh?" she teased.

April sighed dejectedly; "Yeah."

"Pull up your shirt, so we can get this show on the road" Callie said before moving closer to the bed.

April pulled her shirt up and unbuttoned her jeans obediently; she then exposed her tummy and lied flat on the bed.

Callie squeezed a dollop of gel and began spreading it with the transducer; Meredith and Cristina's gaze intently fixed on the monitor.

"Yep, you'll definitely need surgery Apes" Cristina said.

"Swollen and ready to burst" Meredith said in agreement.

Callie chuckled; "Still want some fluids to flush away the alcohol Kepner?" she teased before switching off the ultrasound and handing her a cloth.

April accepted the cloth and began wiping the gel off her tummy; "You people just want to cut me open!" she groaned.

Callie, Meredith and Cristina started laughing when the curtains were yanked open by Alex; "What the hell is going on here?" he asked. His eyes then landed on April and pointed his finger at her; "What the hell are you doing here? Today's your time off and I already told you that I won't burn down your E.R!" he said accusingly.

April let out a pained smile; "I'm not here for work Alex, I'm currently lying on top of a hospital bed if you didn't notice" she said starkly before wincing again.

"Oh" Alex uttered confusedly. "What's wrong with you then?"

"Apparently Kepner's appendix is about ready to burst and she thought it was just hang over so she came here asking, no demanding, me to hook her up with some fluids to flush the alcohol off of her system" Callie said mockingly.

Alex snickered as he stared at April; "Are you a doctor or what?" he teased.

April threw her pillow at Alex; "Go to hell Karev!" she hissed.

Alex easily caught the pillow and threw it back at her; "So, who will cut her open?" he asked while rubbing his palms together excitedly.

April groaned loudly; "Great! Another one who's just dying to slice me open!" she said sarcastically.

Alex laughed heartily; "To make you feel better, I won't let you bleed to your death."

Cristina and Meredith guffawed while Callie tried to stifle her laughter.

"So who will it be Kepner?" Alex asked.

April furrowed her brows; "I want Dr. Bailey."

"Come on!" Cristina and Alex groaned in unison while Meredith continued laughing.

"I'm sorry Kepner but Bailey is off today. You can choose from this three" Callie pointed to the three surgeons.

April thought for a couple of seconds before smirking evilly; "Okay, I want Ross then."

Meredith instantly stopped laughing while Callie, Cristina and Alex stared at her with their mouth hanging open.

"What?" April asked nonchalantly upon seeing their expressions.

"_Happy_? You want _Happy the_ _Intern _to do your surgery?" Cristina asked incredulously.

"You have four top notch surgeons here and you want an intern? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Alex yelled.

"You're not even under any drugs yet and you're already acting like you're pumped up with pain killers Kepner! This is insane!" Callie said, clearly affronted.

"Intern Appy is already done by Wilson, April, so there's no need to do it again" Meredith said calmly.

April sat up and stared at her co-attendings' defiantly; "I want Ross to do the surgery. This is a learning opportunity for him and I've seen him work, he'll do it right. I aced my intern appy so I'm sure as hell that he'll do it too, I've been mentoring him for quite some time now after all, so I'm confident with his skills" she reasoned out.

Alex shook his head; "Talk some sense into her people" he said before leaving.

Cristina smiled at April; "Don't let your over confidence about his talent kill you Kepner, we don't want _happy _to be _mopey _after he butchers you" she said before following Alex.

Callie sighed and threw Meredith a look that says _talk her out of it_; "I'll go check if O.R. 3 is already prepped, stay with the crazy one" she said before leaving.

April leaned back on the bed; "I'm not being difficult Mer, I just want to teach" she said.

Meredith moved closer and sat at her bed side; "You're aware that you cannot teach him while you're sedated, right?" she asked.

April chuckled; "Of course I am" she replied.

"Then why in the world would you risk it? Are you trying to die?"

April looked affronted; "Of course not! If I wanted to die then I would've stayed at home."

"Point taken but are you sure about this? I mean, I can do the surgery myself and I'm sure even Alex, Callie and Cristina won't mind doing it themselves" Meredith bargained.

April let out a smile; "Thank you but I want to do this" she said. She then wrinkled her nose and smile sheepishly; "But please feel free to step in if you see that Ross is close to butchering me" she said.

Meredith laughed; "I'll be there" she assured the red head. She then stood up and shoved her hands inside her lab coat pocket; "Do you want me to tell...Jackson?" she asked cautiously.

April bit her lower lip apprehensively and shook her head; "No, he doesn't need to know" she replied.

Meredith eyed her seriously; "Are you sure?"

April nodded and then winced; "100% sure. Can you prep me already? This stupid thing hurts like hell" she complained.

Meredith nodded; "Okay," she replied before stepping out of the curtain.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was on his way towards the cafeteria when their surgical board caught his attention; he walked towards it and frowned.

"Hey man!" Alex said as he passes him.

"I have a question Karev."

Alex paused and turned towards Jackson; "What is it?" he asked.

Jackson gestured towards the board; "Do you know why an Intern is scheduled to perform an Appendectomy to an unknown patient?" he asked.

Alex furrowed his brows and studied the board; he swore loudly when he recognized the intern's name on the board.

Jackson turned towards the Ped's Attending and raised his brow in question.

"Torres actually caved in! She actually let loony bin have her way!" Alex yelled.

"What are you talking about? Who asked Torres for an intern appy?" Jackson asked.

"KEPNER! That lunatic is actually letting an intern operate on her!" Alex said before storming towards the elevators with a huff.

Jackson's eyes widen in shock; clearly flabbergasted with what Alex said.

Alex paused and turned towards the other man; "Avery! What the hell are you still doing there? You're a freaking major stock holder of this freaking hospital, do something before that stupid intern murders one of your Attendings'!" he shouted before turning on his heel again.

Jackson snapped out of his stupor upon hearing Alex's words; instantly, he felt anger boil inside his chest and before he knows it, he's walking beside the Ped's Surgeon.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea Dr. Grey? I mean...this Dr. Kepner and I don't want to accidentally kill her, I actually like her, she's a good mentor" Shane mumbled nervously.

"You're not going to kill her Ross, I'll be here the whole time and I'll take over if there are some complications" Meredith reassured the fearful intern.

Shane took a shaky breath and turned his gaze towards his mentor's frail form; "I don't know why she requested for me to do this..." he said.

Meredith chuckled; "She trusts you and she wants you to learn. So buck up and make her proud. Are you ready?"

Shane took another calming breath and nodded; he stepped towards the O.R. table and found his comfortable spot.

"Don't kill Kepner, _Happy, _or you'll lose your mentor" Cristina's voices resounded inside the room via intercom.

Shane felt blood leave his face as his hand starts to shake.

The intercom buzzed again; "Don't mind Yang, good luck!" Dr. Torres said.

Shane squared his shoulders and shifted his gaze towards Boki; "Scalpel, please" he said confidently.

Boki followed the young surgeon's order and handed him the blade.

Shane accepted it and took a deep breath; "You can do this," he whispered to himself. He then move the blade towards April's exposed skin and slowly lowered it there.

"DR. ROSS, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THAT PATIENT RIGHT NOW!" Jackson Avery's voice boomed inside the operating room.

Shane paused.

Meredith turned towards her seething colleague and walked towards him; "What are you doing here Dr. Avery?" she asked.

Jackson glared at Meredith and pointed towards the intern; "What the hell were you thinking? Why are you letting him operate on one of our Attendings'?" he snapped.

"The patient requested for him to do the surgery and you know as well as I do that we can't do anything about it" Meredith replied calmly.

"Why did you let loony bin decide? She's not on her right mind Mer and you know it" Alex huffed in annoyance.

Meredith peered behind Jackson's back; "April will be so mad at you Alex" she said.

Alex waived his hand dismissively; "She'll thank me if she lives" he replied.

Meredith glared at Alex before turning her eyes to Jackson; "I'll be overseeing everything that goes inside this O.R. so there's no need worry" she said sternly. She then let her voice soften; "I won't let anything happen to April, I'll step in as I see fit, I promise you that Jackson" she said soothingly.

Jackson's jaws tighten behind his mask but he nodded stiffly; he then turned his angry gaze towards the intern and stared at him straight in the eye. "Make sure you do this perfectly Ross or you'll never see an O.R again unless you're the patient. Understood?" he said.

"Jackson!" Meredith scolded.

Shane swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Answer me" Jackson said through gritted teeth.

"I—I understand Dr. Avery" Shane replied shakily.

"Stop scaring him! You're only making him more nervous than he already is, get out of my O.R.! Just watch from the gallery and keep your thoughts to yourself for now." Meredith said in a reprimanding voice.

Jackson turned towards Meredith as he let out a defeated sigh; "Take care of her and please step in as soon as he looks lost" he whispered.

Meredith's nodded; "I promise, now go" she said.

Jackson nodded before turning around; "Come on Karev, we can watch from the gallery. Grey has this one" he said.

Alex nodded; he was about to follow Avery out but he paused mid step. "Don't kill her Ross and good luck!" he said before stepping out.

"Y-yes Sir!" Shane replied.

Meredith then turned towards the intern and gestured towards the patient; "You can start now" she said.

Shane returned his gaze towards his patient and began opening.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"That was a scene you made there Avery, I'm impressed" Cristina teased.

Jackson ignored her jibe and hastily walked towards the gallery window; he stood right in front of it and watched the procedure with hawk eyes.

Cristina raised her brow and leaned towards Callie; "What has gotten into him?" she whispered.

Callie threw Jackson a worried look; "I think he's pissed with us" she replied.

"But why?" Cristina asked.

"Because all of you caved in to Kepner's crazy demand and now an intern is slicing his best friend open" Alex said as he plopped down on one of the chairs behind the two doctors.

Callie turned towards the Ped's Surgeon; "But Kepner asked for him and we cannot do anything about it and he knows it" she rationalized.

Alex shrugged; "Kepner has been loony lately, I wouldn't be surprised if she asks Boki to do her surgery" he replied.

Cristina snickered.

Callie chuckled; "Kepner's not insane, she knows what she's doing" she replied.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON THERE?" Jackson's yelled into the intercom.

The three doctors turned their gaze towards the gallery window and saw Meredith stepping in.

Cristina stood up and walked towards the window; "Looks like Kepner's appendix ruptured before _Happy_ can fully remove it" she observed.

Jackson fled the room without a word.

"I have everything under control Jackson, please don't come in here!" Meredith's voice resounded from the intercom.

"Err—Karev, can you follow Avery and make sure he doesn't beat Ross to a pulp? I have this niggling feeling that he'll do something stupid because he assumed that Ross killed his best friend?" Callie said.

Alex sighed and stood up; "I'm on it" he said before exiting the room.

Cristina looked thoughtful; "I wonder if Avery can take _Happy_ down?" she wondered.

Callie rolled her eyes.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Dude!" Alex yelled.

Jackson ignored his friend as he continued storming through the corridors.

Alex ran after him and grabbed his arm; "Avery calm down! Everything is alright, Meredith is already fixing it" he said.

Jackson paused and turned towards Alex; "She is?" he asked shakily.

Alex pulled his hand away and nodded; "She is" he affirmed.

Jackson clenched his fists as he closed his eyes tightly.

"Come on, let's get you a drink. I think you need one."

Jackson snapped his eyes open and shook his head; "No, I have to make sure that everything's alright before I-"

"I think it's best if you don't watch them operate on Kepner, you're too attached and you're making them nervous by having you there. Meredith has her and we both know that she's one of the best in this hospital, she won't let anything happen to her, man" Alex explained.

"You're right...I can't watch...Meredith has her, so there's no reason for me to panic...she'll be alright" Jackson assured himself.

"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. I'll ask Yang to update us once the operation is over, okay?" Alex offered.

Jackson nodded.

Alex began shoving him towards the elevator.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I'm done, would you like to close Dr. Ross?" Meredith asked the intern.

Shane shook his head; "No Dr. Grey I'm fine" he replied shakily.

Meredith stared at the intern; "You did everything right, April's appendix is just as stubborn as she is."

Shane quietly nodded.

Meredith sighed and began stitching her friend up.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was staring at Alex's phone on top of the table mutely; he's been on the edge ever since he found out that April is the patient inside the O.R. His mind won't stop flashing him with different kinds of worst case scenario and it's freaking him out big time.

"Dude you have to chill. I'm sure everything's fine" Alex said before taking a sip of his soda.

Jackson grunted in response.

Alex's phone suddenly beeped and even before he was able to snatch it, Jackson beat him to it. He just shook his head and stared at the antsy Plastic Attending; "Is it Yang?" he asked.

Jackson scanned the message and let out sigh of relief; "Yes, the operation is finish and their taking her to the Recovery Room" he replied.

Alex nodded; "That's good" he said.

Jackson placed his friend's phone back on the table and grabbed his soda; he took a couple of mouthful and swallowed a few gulps.

"Baby?"

Alex's head snapped towards the voice and let out an awkward smile; "Dr. Avery" he greeted politely.

Catherine stopped beside their table and smiled at the Ped's surgeon; "Dr. Karev" she replied with a nod.

"What are you doing here Mom?" Jackson asked.

"I was just dropping by to endorse some papers that need's your signature on it. I paged you but you're not responding so I opted to search for you instead."

"I'm sorry Mom, I was busy" Jackson replied before rubbing his face with his palms wearily.

Catherine frowned; "It's your first day back, take it easy" she said.

Jackson sighed; "You can leave the paper's at the nurses' station and I'll just get it from there" he replied.

"Already done that, make sure you read through them first" Catherine said.

Jackson nodded; "Will do" he replied.

Alex eyes instantly moved towards the figure that's walking straight to their table.

"Dr. Avery" Cristina greeted the Urologist politely.

Catherine smiled at the young Cardio Surgeon; "Dr. Yang," she acknowledged.

Cristina nodded before turning towards the other two doctors; "Err-I just dropped by to assure you that everything went well, April is in Recovery and she can start accepting visitors after an hour" she said.

Catherine frowned and asked; "April? Our April?"

Cristina turned her gaze back to the older Avery; "Yes, she was admitted this afternoon for appendicitis. She just came out of surgery and she's doing fine" she explained.

Catherine's eyes turned towards her son; "And you didn't even tell me?" she asked aghast.

Jackson frowned; "I would've told you if I found out earlier" he replied stiffly.

Catherine raised her brow; "What do you mean?" she asked.

Alex instantly shot up from his chair when he felt the tension radiating between mother and son; he cautiously snatched his phone from the table and cleared his throat. "Err—I got to go. It was nice seeing you Dr. Avery but I have a consult in a couple of minutes" he said. He then turned to Cristina; "I need a Cardio Consult too, baby has a weak heart" he said before scurrying away.

Cristina cleared her throat and shoved her hands inside her coat pocket; "Well duty calls, it was nice seeing you again Dr. Avery, see you around Jackson" she said before quickly following Alex's lead.

"Your friends are in a hurry" Catherine observed as she sat herself on the chair that Alex vacated.

Jackson rolled his eyes at his friends' not too subtle antics; "They just want to escape the line of fire that's why they left."

"What do you mean?"

"Promise me you won't over react, okay?"

Catherine raised her brow; "I promise" she replied.

Jackson gauged his mom's reaction before explaining; "The reason why I didn't tell you that April was into surgery is because I also didn't know. In fact, I don't think I would've found out if I didn't notice the intern's name on the surgical board."

Catherine's eyes widen; "An intern operating on one of the Attendings'?" she asked flabbergasted.

"Apparently April requested for him to do it, she refused to have anyone else operate on her aside from Dr. Bailey, but today's her time off" Jackson said exasperatedly.

Catherine stared at her son before bursting into fits of giggles.

Jackson frowned; "What? Don't you think this is disconcerting? I mean, it's April we're talking about here" he quipped.

Catherine waived her hand dismissively; "Of course it's alarming but it's just so...April. I bet she thought that it would be a learning opportunity for one of her interns" she said.

Jackson huffed; "She can't even teach, she's _sedated_!" he said, emphasizing the last word.

Catherine patted her son's arm; "All is well so there's no use being angry, baby" she soothed him.

"I can't believe your fine with this!" Jackson said incredulously.

"I won't be, if she died, but she's alive and that's all that matters."

Jackson took a deep calming breath and nodded; "You're right, I'm being unreasonable."

Catherine smiled at her son as she stood up; "You're not. You just worry about her because you love her, it's a normal reaction."

Jackson jaw dropped in surprise.

"You're her best friend after all. Page me once April is up, so I can drop by before I go home." Catherine added smugly before walking away.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April opened her eyes groggily as she stirred in her bed; she let out a pained gasp when she felt soreness on her lower abdomen.

"Hey..."

April slowly turned her head towards the voice and let out a pained smile; "Hey..." she managed to croak.

Shane moved towards the bed and stood beside his mentor; "You're crazy you know that, right?"

April smiled; "I assume it went well because I'm still alive" she mumbled.

Shane smiled; "It was all good until your stubborn appendix ruptured even before I get to remove it."

April winced; "I'm sorry."

Shane shook his head in amusement; "Only you Dr. Kepner, will apologize in behalf of her appendix."

April swallowed twice before speaking again; "I feel like shit."

Shane checked the IV lines and wrote something on her chart; "Do you want me to up your pain meds a little bit?" he asked.

April manages to shake her head.

Shane closed the charts and smiled at his mentor; "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do the surgery Dr. Kepner, I appreciate it big time but please, next time make sure that you're not the one on the table?" he said.

April smiled tiredly before closing her eyes; "I'll try..." she mumbled before dozing off.

Shane shook his head as he walked towards the door; he pulled it open and was surprised to see Dr. Avery standing on the other side. Shane cleared his throat nervously as he tried to look at the Attending without shirking; "Err-Dr. Avery—Sir..." he stuttered.

Jackson ignored the intern's reaction and asked; "How is she?"

"She's doing fine Sir, she woke up for a couple of minutes but she dozed off again..."

Jackson nodded.

Shane side stepped and hurriedly exited his mentor's room.

"Ross?" Jackson called out.

Shane froze and slowly turned towards the Plastics' Attending; "Y-yes Sir?" he stuttered.

Jackson turned towards the intern and let out a small smile; "Thank you for taking care of April" he said.

Shane was taken aback for a couple of seconds but was able to manage a smile; "You're welcome Sir..." he replied before scurrying.

Jackson sighed and turned towards the door; slowly, he moved towards it and pushed it open. Quietly, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him; he then walked towards the bed and stood beside it. He let his eyes rake his best friend's sleeping frail form and almost instantly he felt a tugging on his heart; he tore his eyes away from her and pulled the nearest chair. He sat down and leaned towards her bedside; lacing their fingers together. "I know we haven't spoken in weeks and I know we have a lot to talk about but I'm here and I promise you that we will fix this as soon as you're okay..." he paused. "You scared me you know, what in the world were you thinking having Ross operate on you? Have you lost your mind? If something happened to you I don't know what I would've done...You are my best friend April... my person..." he continued. Jackson then squeezed April's hand; "There so much I want to say but it won't be fair saying it to you while you're sleeping so I'll wait...wake up soon. I'll be here, I won't leave..." he murmured.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Cristina was on her way to see if the red headed surgeon was awake but was surprised to see Meredith standing at the corridor, watching the room from the window. She approached her friend and stood beside her; "What are you doing out here? Is Kepner awake?" she asked.

Meredith pointed to the window and smiled; "Take a look" she said.

Cristina turned her gaze towards the window; "Oh!"

"Yeah, "Oh!""

"So, he finally grew a pair?" Cristina asked with a grin.

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I'm not sure. Want a wager?" she asked playfully.

Cristina raised her brow; "How much?"

Meredith smiled widely; "50 bucks says that they'll be back together after a week?" she challenged.

Cristina smirked; "Really Mer? A week?" she hustled.

Meredith nodded.

"50 bucks says that they'll be back together right after she gets discharged?" Cristina said smugly.

"What are you guys wagering at?" Alex asked as he walked towards his friends.

Cristina pointed towards the window; "See for yourself, want to place your bet?" she asked cheerfully.

Alex grinned; "I knew it! Looks like they'll be boinking again."

Meredith slapped her friend's arm; "Stop being so crass Alex!" she chastised.

Alex rolled his eyes; "Whatever, love is for losers" he grunted.

Cristina chuckled; "Awww...don't be like that evil spawn. I know you got your heart broken by _hairball_ but you can't be unhappy for those two" she teased.

"Shut up!" Alex hissed.

Meredith shook her head.

"So, what goes? Where are you placing your 50 bucks?" Cristina asked while rubbing her palms together excitedly.

Alex scratches his chin as he watches the dysfunctional pair; "50 bucks says that he'll never grow balls and tell Kepner how he really feels" he said.

Meredith and Cristina stared at each other and grinned; "You're on!" they said in unison.

Alex shook his head and pointed towards the window; "Is she even awake?"

Meredith shook her head; "Unfortunately she's not. I ran into Ross awhile ago and he told me that she woke up for a couple of minutes to congratulate him with his first major surgery but she dozed off right after" she explained.

Alex snickered; "Only Kepner will do that. I still think that she's needs to have her head checked."

Meredith glared at Alex; "You know you're still in trouble with Kepner, right? She will have your ass served in a silver platter if she found out that you ratted her to Avery?" she said pointedly.

Alex huffed; "I didn't rat her out! The man saw it clearly on the surgical board, an intern performing a major surgery to an unknown patient? Of course he'll be suspicious! And whose brilliant idea is it anyway? Seriously? A nameless patient? Totally stupid!"

Cristina laughed; "Who do you think?"

Alex shook his head; "See what I mean? It's cuckoo's nest for her!" he said before leaving.

Meredith chuckled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hey Shane!" Stephanie greeted her friend jovially.

Shane walked towards the locker area and plopped down on the bench; "I'm dead tired" he announced.

Heather Brooks also sat down on the bench and turned towards him; "How did your first solo surgery go?" she asked perkily.

Shane let out tired sigh and shook his head; "Don't remind me, it's awful!" he groaned.

Stephanie's eyes widen; "You had a solo surgery?" she asked.

Shane braised his elbows on top of his knees and buried his face into his palms as a response.

Heather turned towards Stephanie and smiled widely; "Didn't you see his name on the surgical board this afternoon? It was awesome!" she asked.

Stephanie shook her head; "I didn't, I was on pit duties the whole day."

"Well, he did land himself an appy. Come on Shane, tell us! What happened? Who was your patient? Did it go well?" Heather fired questions simultaneously.

Shane grunted and turned his head sideways; "I operated on Dr. Kepner."

"You mean you operated _with _Dr. Kepner?" Stephanie corrected.

Shane shook his head; "No, I literally _operated _on Dr. Kepner" he clarified.

Heather's eyes widen as Stephanie's jaw hangs open.

"Dr. Kepner was admitted this afternoon for appendicitis and she specifically requested for me to do her surgery."

"Wow. That's cool!" Heather breathed out.

Shane shook his head and groaned; "It's not cool."

"So how did it go? Why did you say that it's awful?" Stephanie asked curiously. She then paused and gasped; "Did you butch her surgery? Did you kill your mentor?"

Shane chuckled nervously; "Of course not...well...not quite..." he replied.

"What do you mean not quite?" Stephanie asked.

"Well...everything was running smoothly after the debacle with Dr. Avery. I was about to remove it but it ruptured before I even got the chance to take it all out..." Shane said while wincing.

"What happened next?" Heather asked.

Shane looked away, clearly embarrassed; "I panicked and Dr. Avery shouting through the intercom didn't help either. I froze, so Dr. Grey had to step in immediately and finished the surgery"' he said forlornly.

Heather whistled.

"Dr. Avery? Why do you need a Urologist for an appy?" Stephanie asked confusedly.

Shane turned towards Stephanie and shook his head; "It's the other Avery, _your_ Avery. You should've seen him Steph. I swear, he's an Attending you don't want to mess with. He scared the shit out of me with his shouting and threats!" he said with a shudder.

Stephanie furrowed her brows; "What do you mean?"

"He was livid; he barged into the O.R. with Dr. Karev and started shouting like a mad man. It seems like he was not informed that Dr. Kepner requested for me to do the surgery, no, scratch that, he's not even aware that Dr. Kepner will be _under_ surgery."

Heather looked pensive; "I saw the board this afternoon and Dr. Kepner's name is clearly in not in there" she said.

Stephanie ignored Heather; "He threatened you? What did he look like?" she prodded.

"He asked me to take step back but Dr. Grey was able to convince him to let me continue, then, he told me to make sure that I do the appy perfectly because if I don't, I wouldn't be able to see the O.R. again unless I'm the patient" Shane replied with a wince.

"Scary..." Heather said.

"That's interesting..." Stephanie mused.

Shane shook his head and stood up; "I never want to experience that again, I think I'll forever have an _Avery Trauma_!" he said while shivering.

Heather laughed; "Ha! _Avery Trauma_? That's new!"

Shane laughed; he then went to his locker and grabbed his street clothes. He plucked his jeans and shirt and began walking towards the restroom; "I'll just change, be back in a minute" he said before pushing the door open.

Heather nodded; she then turned towards Stephanie and stared at her other friend. "Steph?"

Stephanie shook her head to clear her mind before turning towards Heather; "Err-yes?"

Heather studied her friend's face; "Are you alright?" she asked.

Stephanie cleared her throat; "Of course I am, why?"

Heather stood up from her perch and moved towards her own locker; "You seem lost there for a moment" she said.

Stephanie bit her bottom lip; "It's nothing...just tired" she lied.

"Want to head to Joe's to unwind?" Heather asked.

"I'll take a rain check on that, I'll have to ask Jackson first, we might have plans."

Heather nodded; "Okay" she said before pulling her scrub tops off.

Stephanie closed her locker and began walking towards the door.

* * *

oOo

**_"I lied and told her she'd be fine but we both know it was just a lie_**

**_I had to do it, coz I'd say anything to help me get through it._**

**_Then she reached out for my hand and a simple touch was more than I _**

**_can stand and I had to turn away coz I knew all the hurt that she was feeling_**

**_I was feeling too but when it falls apart, there's no easy way to break somebody's heart..."_**

oOo

* * *

April slowly opened her eyes and groggily studied her surroundings; once she realized that she's been moved, she slowly braised her palms on her side and tried to sit herself up.

"Whoa! What are doing? You can't sit up!"

April turned her head towards her side and winced; "Hey..." she croaked.

Alex moved towards the bed and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "What do you think you're doing? Lay back down Kepner" he chastised.

April groaned and ignored her friend's reprimands; "My back hurts, how long was I out?" she asked while wiggling.

"Just a couple of hours, Lay. Back. Down" Alex said pointedly.

April huffed but relented; "I'm starving."

"I bet you are but you know the rules, no food for you yet" Alex replied smugly.

April swallowed and closed her eyes; "I hate you" she said wearily.

Alex chuckled.

April opened her eyes again; "Ross, told me that my appendix ruptured before he was able to take it out, what happened? Were you there?" she asked.

Alex narrowed his eyes; "About that, what the hell were you thinking? What crossed that loony head of yours that made you decide to have an intern do your surgery?" he asked, annoyance clearly evident in his voice.

April smiled; "I wanted to teach and it was the perfect avenue to have my intern learn" she simply replied.

"Perfect avenue my ass! You're not even awake so how can you teach him? And besides, did you know that Avery was hair breadth close to beating Ross into a bloody pulp?"

April's smile faltered as her eyes widen in surprise; "J—jackson found out?" she stuttered.

Alex raised his brow; "You think having an intern's name on the O.R. board performing a major surgery to an unknown patient wouldn't make him or anyone suspicious?" he asked sarcastically.

April groaned; "Argh! That was a stupid call."

Alex snickered, he then shifted towards the foot of the bed and plopped down; "You're idea of being inconspicuous sucks," he teased.

"What did he do?"

Alex leaned back on the footboard and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "He barged into the O.R. screaming at Ross like a bitch baby, then, he threatened the poor intern to do it right or he'll never see the O.R again unless he's the patient."

"Oh shit. Poor Ross..."

Alex raised his brow while eyeing her with amusement; "You're more concerned about your intern's feelings rather than worrying about Avery's wrath, interesting."

April made a face; "Is he that angry?"

Alex scoffed; "Livid is an understatement. I had to grab his arm to keep him from barging inside the O.R. for the second time when Ross almost killed you."

April bit her lower lip; "It's not his fault, it's my appendix that—"

"Don't go there" Alex warned. He then narrowed his eyes; "Don't go blaming your appendix for your intern's lack of skills."

April snapped her mouth close.

Alex's pager instantly went off so he plucked it from his pocket; he read the message and hastily stood up. "Have to go, Arizona is paging me."

April nodded; "Thank you for dropping by" she said with a smile.

Alex nodded; "Get well soon and don't sit up" he reminded her before walking away.

"I won't" April replied before closing her eyes to rest.

"You're up."

April's eyes snapped open upon hearing a familiar voice; slowly, she turned her head towards door and just like that, her heart started thumping wildly. "H-hey"

Jackson stepped inside the room and walked towards her bed; he stood at her bedside and smiled at her. "I just saw Karev, is he bothering you? How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

April swallowed hard; "Err—no, he's not. I—err-hungry." she replied.

Jackson chuckled; "Good. You can't eat yet."

April laughed but it instantly evaporated when radiating pain ebbed sharply from her lower abdomen.

Jackson stopped chuckling and stared at her with concern; "You okay?"

April took a deep calming breath before letting out a pained smile; "Can't laugh, incision hurts like hell."

Jackson cringed; "Do you want me to up your pain-killers' dosage a bit?" he offered.

April shook her head; "No, I'm okay."

Jackson nodded before stuffing his hands into his coat's pocket; he then cleared his throat and gazed at her silently.

April met his eyes before blinking a couple of times.

Jackson swallowed hard; "I know we haven't got the chance to talk yet and there are still things that we left hanging..."

April nodded in acknowledgement.

Jackson began fidgeting with his pockets nervously as he continued; "But I think now is not the right time to talk about it...at least not yet..."

April swallowed hard; "Y-yeah...you're right" she stuttered.

Jackson gauges her reaction before moving closer; slowly, he sat on her bedside and stared at her directly. "I still haven't forgotten about what you said to me if that's what you're thinking...I-I'm still not sure how to feel about it, but after contemplating for a couple of days, one thing became glaringly clear to me... I can't lose my best friend" he admitted.

April ignored the rippling ache inside her chest and painted the most convincing smile she can muster; "You won't lose her."

Jackson let out a relieved breath before smiling; "Let's just give it time then we'll talk again" he said. "It's still me and you, we'll be fine" he added with more confidence.

April felt tears stinging in her eyes but she fought it with all her might; she moved her shaking hand towards his arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. She then pulled it away and let out a pained smile; "We will be fine, it's still me and you."

Jackson flinched at her touch and hastily stood up from his perch; he loudly cleared his throat before smiling hesitantly. "I—Err—I have to go. I still need to do rounds but I'll try to drop by again."

"Thank you for your visit" April replied somewhat curtly upon noticing his uneasy reaction.

Jackson shoved his hands inside his pockets again; "No problem."

April nodded and turned her gaze away.

Jackson stared at her for a couple minutes before turning on his heel and leaving her alone.

April waited for a moment before letting out a sob; tears quickly fell down her sullen cheeks so she attempted to turn to her side to hide her feeble cries. She was able to move in the position that she wants but the air got knocked of her lungs when she felt searing pain in her incisions, making her yelp loudly.

"April!" Meredith immediately rushed to her side and dumped her supply basket on top of the over-bed table. "What in the world-you're not supposed to lie on your side!" she said while hauling the red head back to the right position.

April moaned in pain as tears continue to leak from her eyes.

"Are you crying?" Meredith asked incredulously.

"It hurts" April muttered.

"You're crying because your incision hurts?"

April nodded; "Y-yes" she lied.

Meredith moved towards the over-bed and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from her basket; she slipped her hands into it and shifted towards the bed. "I need to check if you busted your incision open so stay still."

April took a deep placating breath and nodded.

Meredith lifted the gown and frowned when she saw blood seeping through the bandages; "It's bleeding. I have to change the dressing because it's almost drenched" she said while shaking her head in disapproval. "You should've known better Apes, you're a doctor for goodness sake! You know you're not supposed to flip to your side after an operation" she chastised.

April sniffed; "I'm sorry..." she croaked.

Meredith moved towards her supply basket again and grabbed a tube of antibiotic cream and fresh bandages.

"Dressing her wound so soon?" Cristina asked as she sauntered inside the room.

Meredith turned her head towards her friend and rolled her eyes; "I didn't have too if Little Ms. Stubborn here didn't follow the post op protocol."

Cristina plopped on the couch and raised her brow; "What'd she do?" she asked.

Meredith turned towards April again and leaned forward; "I found her crying like a baby trying to flip to her side" she replied while gently peeling off the sodden dressing.

"I think the pain-killers' addled her brain a bit that's why she didn't thought of it. Right, Apes?"

April grunted in response.

Cristina snickered.

"Stop being stubborn April or you'll end up staying on this bed much longer that you need to be" Meredith chastised before cleaning the blood stain and lathering the cream on her cut gently.

"I'm sorry..." April said weakly.

"Hmmnnnn..." Meredith hummed as she covers the incision with fresh bandages. Once done, she gathered the trash in her hands and shoved it inside a plastic bag, including her used gloves. She then walked towards Cristina and plopped down on the sofa, crossing her arms on top of her chest.

April angled her head towards the two surgeons' and let out a pained smile; "I was not crying because my tummy hurts, well, that contributed to my tears obviously, but it's mainly because J-jackson was here..." she confessed.

Cristina's eyes widen in delight; "Really? He came back already?" she asked excitedly.

"What do you mean?" April asked confusedly.

"He was with you the whole time in the Recovery Room, he just left your side when you were transferred here" Meredith explained.

"Oh." April deadpanned.

"What's with the face? Aren't you happy?" Cristina probed, upon noticing April's reaction.

April moved her head back and focused her eyes on the ceiling; "I guess so..."

Meredith noticed April's response and opted to give her space; she stood up from the couch and turned towards Cristina. "Let's leave April to rest for a bit."

Cristina stood up and began walking towards the door; "Okay, we'll be on our way." She then paused and turned her head towards the patient; "And Kepner, stop being hard headed and try to follow the post op protocols. Like what you told me before, protocols are there for a reason, you know" she said before throwing a loop sided smile.

April turned her head towards Cristina and smiled; "I'll try my best Doc."

Meredith walked towards the over-bed table and grabbed her basket; she then turned towards April and stared at her seriously. "No more moving for you, lie on your back and don't even try to flip to your side. If I ever hear that your wound is bleeding again, I'll sic Alex on you" she threatened good-naturedly before snatching the plastic bag at the foot of the bed.

"I'll behave, I promise."

Meredith smiled approvingly and patted her leg; "I'll leave you to it but stop thinking and try to get some rest" she said while throwing her a knowing look.

April nodded and closed her eyes.

Meredith stepped outside the room and closed the door behind her; she then moved towards the nurses' station and leaned forward. "Check on Dr. Kepner's room every 2 hours to make sure that she's lying on her back. She's not allowed any visitors at the moment, this includes her doctor friends. She needs to rest and she can't be bothered for any reason, okay?" she instructed.

"Yes, Dr. Grey" The nurse replied.

Cristina raised her brow; "What's that for?"

"I have a feeling that Jackson's visit didn't go well as we expected it to be and she's upset about it."

"Damn it!" Cristina swore.

Meredith chuckled; "Looks like we'll owe Alex 100 bucks" she said.

Cristina frowned; "She's not discharged yet Mer, I still have a couple of days and Avery is a total douche bag!" she spat.

Meredith nodded; "Douche bag indeed" she agreed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was just rounding up the corner when he saw Stephanie walking towards him; he let out a pained smile and greeted her; "Hey."

Stephanie smiled back; "Hey" she said before planting kiss on his lips. "I haven't seen you all day."

"I've been busy doing rounds, how about you?"

"I've been at the pit the whole day, nothing new. You done for the day?" Stephanie asked.

Jackson cringed; "I'm actually not. My mom left me some paper works to read and sign this afternoon but I haven't gotten the chance to take a look at them yet so I have to stay longer" he explained.

Stephanie just stared at her beau, disappointment radiating from her eyes.

Jackson noticed her reaction so he moved closer; he cupped her face into his palms and planted a peck on her lips. "I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you this weekend" he promised.

Stephanie bit her bottom lip as she stared into his eyes; "Don't make promises you can't keep..." she whispered.

Jackson flinched in guilt; "I'm sorry...I promise, this time I'll make it" he replied with conviction.

Stephanie eyed him for a couple of seconds before relenting; "Okay..."

Jackson smiled and planted another peck on her lips; "I'll see tomorrow, have a good night" he said before taking a step back.

Stephanie threw him a smile before turning around and walking away.

Jackson watched his girlfriend turn into the other corridor before letting out deep sigh; "You need to think man, this is really unbecoming of you" he said to himself. He then shoved his hands into his pockets and continued his rounds.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Catherine Avery was walking along the lobby when she saw her son standing in front of the nurses' station; quickly, she made a detour and walked towards him. "Jackson"

Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and groaned loudly when he saw his mother standing beside him; "What are you still doing here Mom?" he asked with exasperation.

Catherine raised her brow; "I'm waiting for Richard were supposed to grab a drink from the cafeteria but he's still talking with Dr. Shepherd. Was April already transferred out of the Recovery Room? I didn't get paged, I was waiting for it" she said pointedly.

Jackson looked abashed; "Err—that, I forgot. Sorry mom. Yes, she's already been moved into a room" he replied.

"Did you make sure that it's the VIP suite and she's comfortable?" Catherine asked.

"Yes Mom" Jackson replied.

Catherine nodded; "Good, give me the room number and I'll drop by before I leave."

"She's been moved to the 3rd floor, VIP suite 3132."

Catherine took mental note and smiled; "Thanks baby, I think I'll drop by now since Richard and Derek aren't done yet. Do you want to come?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head; "I still need to finish the scheduling for tomorrow and I already checked on her" he replied.

Catherine shrugged her shoulders; "Fine, see you in a bit" she said before walking towards the elevator.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Catherine exited the lift and began walking towards April's designated room; she began reading the numbers on each door and stopped right in front of room 3132. "Gotcha!" she said triumphantly. She moved towards it and turned the knob; she pushed it gently and peered inside the darken room.

"Excuse me, Dr. Avery?"

Catherine paused and turned towards the nurse standing behind the station; "Yes?" she asked.

"I'm sorry but Dr. Kepner is not allowed any visitors at the moment" The nurse in green scrubs said apologetically.

"But why?" Catherine asked in surprise.

"Dr. Kepner's incision bled just an hour ago, so, Dr. Grey specifically instructed us to let her rest for the time being. We'll be checking on her every 2 hours to make sure that it didn't bleed again." The nurse explained.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "Do you know why it bled?" she asked inquisitively.

"It bled because of constant moving and Dr. Kepner turned to her side."

Catherine turned her gaze towards the room and shook her head; she then took a step back and closed the door behind her quietly. "I understand. Please make sure that she's comfortable and well taken care of."

The nurse nodded; "I'll make sure, Dr. Avery" she replied politely.

Catherine smiled at the nurse and nodded; "Thank you" she said before turning on her heel.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was about to enter the Attendings' Lounge when he saw Derek and Richard coming his way; he stood right in front of the door and nodded in greeting. "Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Webber."

"Avery" Derek responded with a smile.

"Jackson" Richard greeted.

Derek turned towards Richard and patted his shoulder; "I'll see you tomorrow Richard, I'll just check on Zola and Bailey" he said. He then nodded towards Jackson; "Have a good night" he said before leaving.

Richard turned towards the young attending and asked; "Have you seen your mother? We're supposed to go to the cafeteria before she leaves."

"She just checked on April but-there she is" Jackson pointed towards his mother.

Richard turned around; "There you are, I just finished talking with Derek. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Catherine walked towards her beau and stood beside him; "I am."

Jackson cleared his throat; "So, did you see April?" he casually asked.

Catherine shook her head disappointedly; "I found her room but I wasn't able to talk to her" she replied.

"Oh, is she asleep?" Jackson asked.

"I wasn't able to enter her room" Catherine clarified.

Jackson furrowed his brows; "What do you mean you're not able to enter her room?"

Richard threw her a confused look.

"According to the nurse, her incisions bled an hour ago because April turned to her side like an errant child so Dr. Grey ordered no visitors at the moment hence I was not able to enter her room."

Richard nodded in understanding; "Well, she's been lying on her back for hours, we can't blame her if she wants to move a bit."

Jackson shook his head; "She knows she can't, she just being stubborn" he mumbled.

Catherine smirked; "So are you," she whispered subtly.

"What?" Jackson asked.

Catherine laughed; "Never mind. I have to go now baby, I'll come tomorrow to check on April before I fly back to Boston" she quipped, quickly changing the topic.

Jackson nodded; "Drive home safely."

Catherine moved towards her son and planted a kiss on his stubbly cheek; "Will do, have a good night" she said before pulling Richard away.

Jackson watched the couple disappear from the corridor before he turned towards the Attendings' Room; he turned the knob and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Ooohhh look, Hulk is here!" Cristina teased.

Jackson rolled his eyes and moved towards the fridge; he yanked it open and plucked a bottle of water.

Meredith laughed as she shrugged her jacket on; "Hey Jackson" she said.

Jackson faced the two surgeons as he popped the bottle cap open; "You two heading home?" he asked before taking a swig.

Cristina stood up from the couch and snatched her bag from the coffee table; "Yep" she replied.

Jackson swallowed and nodded; "Have a good night" he said.

Meredith fished the diaper bag from the floor and slung it on her shoulders; "You on call?"

Jackson shook his head; "Nope, I'm just finishing some paper works for the Foundation and I'm out of here."

Meredith nodded; "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She then turned towards Cristina; "Ready to go?" she asked.

Cristina nodded; "Night Hulk" she said before moving towards the door.

Meredith followed her friend; she was about to step outside when she heard the Plastic Attending calling her name. She paused and turned around; "Did you need something?"

Jackson cleared his throat and met Meredith's eyes; "My mom checked on April awhile ago and she told me that she had some bleeding...is she alright?" he asked unsurely.

Meredith studied his face before answering; "She's fine. Her incision just bled because she turned to her side, no biggie" she replied.

Jackson nodded in understanding.

"It was kinda funny though..."

"Why?"

Meredith stared at him directly; "Because I never pegged April to be a cry baby."

Jackson's brow rose in surprise; "She cried?" he asked.

Meredith nodded; "She did, it looks like her tolerance for pain has reached its peak" she said meaningfully.

Jackson's mouth snapped closed; his jaw clenching.

"Is there anything else?" Meredith asked.

"No, thank you" Jackson replied tightly.

Meredith nodded; she then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Cristina asked curiously.

Meredith grinned widely; "Looks like our wager is still on."

Cristina stared at her friend and slowly a smirk appeared on her lips; "I'm loving this more and more" she said.

Meredith laughed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Day One: April's Post Op:**

"All scheduled surgeries for this day will push through; however, we would need some extra hands at the pit since Dr. Kepner is still indisposed. Is there anything else you guys want to discuss before we wrap this meeting up?" Owen Hunt said, when he didn't get any response he gestured towards the door; "Let's get to work then" he dismissed.

Jackson hurriedly gathered his things and stood up; he walked briskly towards the door and stepped out as fast as he can.

"Avery!" Arizona Robbins called out.

Jackson paused and turned towards the Ped's Attending; "Hey Arizona."

Arizona walked towards him and smiled; "Why you running like the room is on fire?" she asked.

Jackson scratched his head and chuckled; "I just don't want Hunt piling paper works on me again. I'm a doctor today" he said.

Arizona giggled; "Well, since you're a doctor today, I just want to remind you that you have a consult for a cleft palette baby in an hour."

Jackson saluted; "I'll be there."

Arizona shook her head in amusement; "Okay, see you then" she said before walking towards the other direction.

Jackson turned on his heel and began walking towards the elevator; when he reached it, he punched the "down" button twice.

"You know it won't make that thing go faster right?"

Jackson's head snapped towards the side; "Dr. Bailey, you're back early!"

Miranda Bailey raised her brow; "Of course, I still work here" she replied starkly.

Jackson ignored her jibe and smiled; "You running the pit today?" he asked.

Miranda nodded; "Only the first half, I still have consults and Hernia Repair in the afternoon."

Jackson nodded; "I'm heading there too, today, I'm a doctor" he repeated his earlier sentiment.

Miranda laughed; "Getting tired of meetings already?" she teased.

Jackson groaned; "Never was a fan of paper works and never will like meeting with the _suits_" he admitted.

Miranda threw him an emphatic look; "I feel for you kid."

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith knocked on the door before opening; she then stepped inside and smiled at her patient. "You're up early, good night?"

April nodded with a well rested smile; "Good night, I was so drugged up that I didn't open my eyes until light is streaming through my windows."

Meredith laughed; she then moved towards the foot of the bed and plucked the chart. She opened it and began reading the notes; "So how are you feeling today?" she asked.

April groaned; "I'm so hungry I can eat a whole cow."

Meredith chuckled as she snap the chart close; she then moved towards the side of the bed and lowered the side railing; "Can I?" gesturing towards her patients tummy.

April pulled her hospital gown up; "The nurse just changed the dressing an hour ago, no bleeding" she said proudly.

Meredith pulled the gown down and pulled the side railing up again; "Good to hear. Knocking you up with drugs was a good call after all."

April chuckled; "Yes it was" she replied.

"Did you pass gas already?" Meredith asked nonchalantly.

April blushed; "Yep."

Meredith smirked; "Did you _poopoo_ in the big girl potty?" she asked in a singsong voice.

April cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed by her friend's standard post op questions. "Yep" she replied, clearly flustered.

Meredith braised her hands on the side railing and smiled; "You can eat already but unfortunately no solid food yet. Did they bring you breakfast?"

April made a disgusted face; "They did and it's awful." She then eyed her friend and smiled slyly; "Hey...You're a board member here, why don't you tell them to serve edible food to patients" she coaxed.

Meredith laughed; "I only get one vote and I don't think that would be enough to evaluate the food."

April pouted in response.

Meredith raised her hand to her chin, pretending to scratch it while thinking; "Hmmnnn...Come to think of it, your best friend is the chair of our board, he has the most powerful vote, why don't you ask him instead, that for sure will change something" she said suggestively.

April scowled; "Never mind, I'll just suck it up and eat the pity food this hospital feeds me" she said dramatically.

"Well in two days you're out of here so you can eat anything you want, if that's any consolation."

April fidgeted as she tried to sit up; "I'd give my arm now for a nice juicy burger" she said wistfully.

Meredith leaned forward and helped her get comfortable; "I thought you have a cow as a pet?" she teased.

April smiled widely; "I do but I'm not eating my pet, it's a different cow" she rationalized.

"Another peoples pet though," Meredith pointed out.

April's smile instantly vanished, leaving her with a disturbed look.

Meredith eyed her for a second before bursting into fits of laughter.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"You just need a few stitches and you're good to go" Jackson assured his patient. He then turned towards his intern and cleared his throat; "Dr. Edwards, please get a suture kit and fresh bandages," he said.

"Right away Dr. Avery" Stephanie replied politely before leaving.

Jackson turned towards his patient again and smiled.

"Dr. Avery?"

Jackson's head snapped towards his right side and saw Bailey standing a couple of beds away from him; he turned towards his patient again and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, this will only take a minute" he said before standing up. He then walked towards his co-attending and stared at her expectantly; "Is there something you need?" he asked.

"I just saw Robbins at the elevator and she asked me to tell you that you need to head to Ped's right now for your cleft palette consult. There had been a misunderstanding with her scheduling and the patient is already waiting for you" Bailey explained. She then gestured towards his patient; "I can take this for you."

"Okay then, she just need some sutures and I already asked Edwards to get the kit" Jackson said while taking off his latex gloves.

Bailey nodded; "Okay, I'll go ahead and just explain it to her. You can go now" she said dismissively.

Jackson nodded; "Thanks!" he said before rushing towards the door.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Catherine Avery sauntered along the 3rd floor lobby with a purpose; she walked towards the nurses' station and tapped her fingers on the desk. "Good Morning" she greeted brightly.

The nurse whom she spoke with last night smiled at her; "Good Morning Dr. Avery, here to visit Dr. Kepner?" she asked.

Catherine smiled; "I am, can she accept visitors?"

The nurse nodded; "No bleeding, so visitors are allowed" she replied.

Catherine chuckled; "That's good to hear, well thank you dear. I'll just go right in."

"Go on ahead."

Catherine left the nurses' station and walked towards April's room; she turned knob open and took a step in. She entered the room expecting to see the patient but she was met with an empty bed; she then closed the door behind her and narrowed her eyes. "April honey, where are you?" she called out.

The bathroom door was yanked open; "Dr. Avery?" April gasped, surprise clearly written on her face.

Catherine frowned as she walked towards the bathroom; "Why are you walking un-attended? And what did I tell you about calling me Catherine?" she chastised.

April squirmed as she pulled the door wider; she shyly stepped out of the bathroom and began dragging her IV lines behind her. "I had to pee and I'm sorry, I always forget."

Catherine met her half way and helped her walk towards the bed; "Why didn't you call a nurse to help you sweetie? You know you can't walk for a while."

April lifted her feet from the floor and settled it on top of the bed; "I didn't want to bother them," she replied.

Catherine pulled the blankets to cover the stubborn surgeon's legs and settled herself on her bedside; "You're not bothering them, it's their job to take care of you."

"I know but I'm fine" April said with a re-assuring smile.

Catherine leaned forward and gently gathered April's hands on her lap; "So, tell Momma Avery what happened? Jackson told me that you kept your operation a secret and you requested for an intern to do your surgery?"

"Err—"

Catherine squeezed her hand and smiled encouragingly.

April cleared her throat; "Err-I didn't know that the pain I'm experiencing was from my appendix you see, I thought it was just because I had too much to drink the night before, so, I just came here to be hooked up with some fluids that will help me flush out the alcohol. But then, Dr. Torres found me and refused to hook me up without standard examination, then, Dr. Grey showed up with Dr. Yang and they started prodding me and that's when I realized that it's not hang over. I— I didn't have the chance to notify Jackson because I was prepped for the O.R immediately" she explained nervously.

"And the intern?"

"Oh—I-I initially requested for Dr. Bailey because I know that she doesn't have any surgeries scheduled for the day and I didn't want to bother the other Attendings', but it turns out that it was her time off. Then I saw my intern assisting Dr. Torres and realized that it's a perfect opportunity for him to learn first-hand..." April babbled while blushing profusely.

Catherine shook her head in amazement; "First, you don't have to worry about _bothering _the other Attendings' because it's their job to help a patient. Second, you should _never _and I mean, _never_ _ever _request for an intern to operate on you because their still babies and they can't very well learn if their mentor died while their literally practicing _on_ them. And lastly, you should _always _inform Jackson or me if you'll be lying on top of the operating table, you're family is in Moline and we are what you have here, so please make time to let us know. If you can't talk with Jackson, honey, then call me instead" she said seriously.

April stared at her best friend's mom and felt her affection for her double in size; she felt her eyes heating up with tears but she didn't bother to hide it. "Thank you...that was really nice of you to say..." she mumbled.

Catherine squeezed the young surgeon's hand and smiled endearingly; "You're welcome baby, you know I care for you like you're my own."

Tears streaked down April's cheeks but she ignored it; she squeezed the older woman's hand and let out a teary smile. "Jackson is very lucky to have you...Thank you again..." she said.

Catherine smiled warmly; "He's lucky to have you too, my boy chose well" she replied cryptically.

April ignored the older woman's blunt insinuation and just chuckled nervously; "He did land himself a neurotic best friend, that's saying something" she joked.

Catherine did not say anything but she threw April and knowing look.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was browsing through his phone when Arizona entered the room; he lazily slipped it back into his lab coat pocket and stared at her; "Did they sign the consent form?" he asked.

Arizona threw him a bright smile and nodded; "They did, they're in the process of admitting her already."

Jackson smiled; "Awesome" he replied giddily.

"I already booked O.R 2 for 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, we're good to go" Arizona said.

Jackson nodded; "Yep, I'll see you then" he said before standing up.

"Cool, see ya!"

* * *

oOo

* * *

"What the hell are you doing there? Are you hiding and nursing your broken heart?"

"Shut up! I'm just resting before I head to the pit. I just got off of a 5 hours surgery" Alex hissed.

Cristina chuckled; "Resting? Here? In the fire exit? Really?"

Alex rolled his eyes; "Yes, really. What are you doing here? Sexual rendezvous with your ex-husband?" he retorted.

Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest and shook her head; "Nah, I'm actually here to use the stairs, crappy elevator is too slow."

"Speaking of crappy elevators, you're a freaking board member why don't you throw money in fixing that instead of buying stamped coffee sleeves!" Alex said irritably.

Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "We haven't had a board meeting yet but I'll make sure that crappy thing is addressed. One signature from McPretty and I'm sure you'll have a brand new elevator in a blink of an eye."

Alex huffed; "Let's keep our fingers crossed. By the way, do you have any news if Avery grew balls yet?" he asked.

Cristina laughed; "Nope, still a Eunuch."

Alex laughed.

"I still can't believe that you actually have a chance of winning this wager! I never pegged Avery to be so..._douchey_" Cristina pouted.

Alex stood up from his perch and threw Cristina a look; "The nice ones are usually the _douchey _ones." He then walked towards the door and yanked it open; "He might grow balls, who knows. Hell, maybe Kepner will even chop it off for us" he said before stepping out the room with a loud chuckle.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"_**Dr. Avery, please proceed to the main lobby. Thank you!"**_

Jackson heard his name being announced by the PA system and he was not happy about it; he was just on his way back to the pit when heard it and he has every intention of ignoring it. He continued his trek and turned on the next corner; he walked briskly towards the E.R. door and barged inside with a grin.

"Dude, didn't you just got paged?"

Jackson shrugged his shoulders and began surveying the room; "Need help?"

Alex stretched his arms upward; "It's a slow day today, I just discharged the last patient" he replied before yawning.

"_**Dr. Avery, please proceed to the main lobby. Thank you!"**_

Jackson swore colourfully.

Alex snickered; "I think you better get that, maybe something's up."

"I have a gut feeling that it's just my Mother" Jackson grunted.

Alex patted his friend's back sympathetically; "I feel you bro but you don't want Momma Avery barging inside this room and dragging you by the ear, so you better get your ass there, and I say now."

Jackson let out a defeated sigh and nodded; "I better go. Page me if you need me, I'm a free agent for the rest of the day."

Alex nodded; "Will do."

Jackson turned around and began walking towards the doors.

"Avery!"

Jackson paused and turned his head; "Yeah?"

"Since you're free, do drop by Kepner's room. She's acting loonier than the usual, we don't want her ending up at the cuckoo's nest after all."

Jackson felt his jaw involuntarily twitch upon hearing April's name but he nodded none the less; "Is there anything else?" he asked.

Alex shoved his hand inside his lab coat pockets and shook his head; "Nope,"

Jackson turned towards the door again and continued his path; pushing the E.R. door with a loud bang.

"There you are!"

"Are you the one that keeps on paging me?" Jackson sauntered towards his mother with a frown.

Catherine smirked before planting a smack on her son's cheek; "Oh hush! I told you I was dropping by before I leave for Boston" she said dismissively.

"What time is your flight?"

Catherine looped her arm around her son's arm and began dragging him; "It's 3 P.M. so we still have enough time to chat. Why don't you take your old mom out for lunch?" she suggested.

"You're aware that I'm in the middle of my shift, right?"

Catherine chuckled; "I'm not asking you take me to a fancy restaurant baby, we can simply eat at the cafeteria" she replied.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "Lead the way then" he said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"So why are you eating your lunch here again?" April asked as she watches her two friends eat their food from the couch.

Cristina took a sip from her soda can before grabbing the fruit bowl from her tray; "We're just keeping you company Apes."

Meredith nodded before taking a big bite of her burger.

April narrowed her eyes at them and huffed; "You're not here to keep me company, you're here to torture me."

Cristina popped a melon ball and chewed with vigour; "And by what means are we torturing you?" she asked curiously.

April pouted; she then turned her gaze towards Meredith and scowled. "She's eating burger. In my room. Where I can smell it, she's evil."

Meredith swallowed before replying; "Come on Apes, I'm not doing it on purpose, this is the only thing that caught my eyes."

"Yeah right."

Cristina raised her brow and pointed her fork at the bed-ridden Trauma Surgeon; "Why is she bitching about you eating a burger? Does it remind her of her pet or something?" she asked.

"Hey!" April said indignantly.

Meredith chuckled; "She's pouting because she told me that she wants to eat a big fat juicy burger this morning but unfortunately she can't."

Cristina laughed.

April huffed and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "It's not funny! I've been eating crap ever since I woke up. I'm dying of starvation here! And your both torturing me by eating those delectable edible food right in front of me!" she complained.

"Oh hush! You're not dying, you're hooked up with an IV" Cristina quipped.

Meredith nodded in agreement before taking another bite of her burger.

April watched the blonde surgeon with longing; "I hate you" she said without conviction.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson sipped his soda as he listened to his mom drawl about her charity events and hospital stuff; to be honest, he does not even understand half of what she's saying and he's just indulging her to keep her out of his business.

"I think it will be better if I bring him along next time I visit. I mean, I did give April his number but knowing that girl, I'm pretty sure she conveniently forgot about it" Catherine finished.

Jackson frowned; "Who are you bringing? And why are you sending April some creeper's number?" he asked.

Catherine waived her hand dismissively; "He's not a creeper, I've known this Gyne Fellow for years" she said, emphasizing the last word.

Jackson sat straight and glared at his mother; "You're setting her up with one of your minion's, a Gyne Fellow none the less! Are you her pimp or something? What's wrong with you?" he puffed, irritation clearly evident in his voice.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "Don't you use that tone with me Jackson Avery, I'm still your mother!" she scolded. She then squared her shoulders and stared at him haughtily; "There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing. April is single and she's a beautiful flower waiting to be plucked by a _real _man" she said.

"The woman just broke up with her fiance, give her room to breathe!"

Catherine's demeanor instantly brightened; "I know that! That's why I'm helping her move on! I'm giving her the options that are obviously not here in Seattle."

Jackson scowled; "And what makes you think that she doesn't have options here?" he challenged.

Catherine did a mental fist pump; she's right, something is definitely up between her son and his pretty red headed best friend. Just watching her son scowl at her from across the table at a mention of another man is reason enough to believe that he's feeling more than friendship for April. "Well do you have someone in mind?" she goaded.

Jackson opened his mouth to speak but closed it again; he shook his head and stood up. "I'm not doing this with you."

Catherine bit her lower lip to keep herself from further teasing.

Jackson leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his mother's cheeks; "I have to get back to work. Have a safe flight" he said before turning on his heel and walking away.

Catherine watched her son leave; once he exited the vicinity, she burst out laughing.

* * *

oOo

* * *

_**At the other Table...**_

Jo Wilson sat beside her friend as she places her lunch tray on top of the table; "Is that Dr. Avery the renowned Urologist?" she asked, clearly in awe.

Stephanie nodded glumly; "The one and only."

Jo took a piece of carrot from her plate and began munching it; "Did you say Hi to your future mother in law?" she teased.

Stephanie ignored her friend and began pushing the food around her plate.

Jo furrowed her brows and stared at her friend with concern; "What happened?"

Stephanie took a deep breath and turned towards Jo; "I think-I think I'm losing him..." she said.

"Jackson?" Jo clarified.

Stephanie nodded; she then placed her fork on top of her plate and leaned back on her chair. "I don't know why but I have this gut feeling that I won't be with him for long..." she confessed.

"Did you talk to him? Did you tell him that you feel that way?"

Stephanie shook her head; "Honestly? I can't even remember the last time we actually sat down and talk."

Jo sighed; "When did it start? The drifting, I mean" she asked.

Stephanie paused and thought for a second; "After he had an accident, after the storm."

Jo furrowed her brows and started thinking about that day; she replayed every single detail of what happened and almost instantly, a thought hit her out of nowhere. "Oh!"

Stephanie turned towards her and stared at her inquisitively.

Jo swallowed hard and reprimanded herself for her reaction; she had no basis for her assumptions but it strung a chord that she can't help but connect to the Plastic Attending's indifference.

"What?" Stephanie asked.

"Err-"

"Spit it out Jo! Did you know something?" Stephanie asked impatiently.

Jo cleared her throat; "I'm not sure if this is something substantial but there had been a talk...I'm not sure if you heard because you've been pre-occupied that time as well but..." she paused.

"Talk about what?"

"Err-I didn't actually see it for myself because I was in the NICU with you that night but some nurses were talking about a commotion after the bus exploded" Jo said. She then crafted her words in her mind carefully and proceeded; "After the bus exploded everybody saw how Dr—Dr. Kepner lost it...They're saying that she almost ran to the bus when she realized that Dr. Avery was still there, a lot of nurses said that she was hysterical and kept screaming his name."

Stephanie stared at her friend, mouth hanging open.

Jo swallowed hard and continued with her story; "When Dr. Torres was tending to Dr. Avery's wounds, Dr. Kepner came barging inside the E.R and began hitting him while crying...she's was shouting some thing's but was forced to leave because Dr. Torres asked her to take a walk..." she finished.

Stephanie closed her mouth and stared at her friend unseeingly.

Jo felt herself flush so she grabbed her cup and took a large swig; she then turned her gaze toward Stephanie and cleared her throat. "Steph?"

Stephanie shot up from her chair and hastily grabbed her lab coat on top of the table; she clumsily shrugged it on and turned her head towards her friend. "Thank you for telling me. I have to go" she said before bolting towards the door.

Jo's eyes widen in horror as she watches her friend flee.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was staring at April's door for more than 10 minutes now; he wanted to check on her, to see how she's fairing but he just can't seem to convince himself to take that step. He let out a frustrated sigh and stared at the ceiling; "What's wrong with you? She's your best friend for crying out loud! Common, get your shit together" he mumbled to himself.

"Do we need to start praying in the hallway too?"

Jackson's head snapped towards April's door and felt his face flush with embarrassment; he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "Y-yang."

Cristina stared at him like he was crazy; "Why are you staring at the ceiling like an imbecile?"

"I—err—I was just checking something out" Jackson replied lamely.

Cristina narrowed her eyes before a full blown smirk formed on her lips. She then took a step back and pushed the door behind her wide open; "Looks like you have another visitor Apes!" she announced cheerily.

Jackson eyes widen in horror.

"Who is it?" April asked curiously.

Cristina side stepped, giving the red head a clear view of the hallway. "Just the person you wanted to see!"

April's eyes widen as she recognizes the man standing at the hallway; her heart started beating faster and her palms began sweating. "H—hey" she stammered.

Jackson mentally swore as he walked towards the door; he threw Cristina a dirty look before entering April's room. He stood nervously at the foot of the bed and cleared his throat; "How are you feeling?" he asked.

April tucked some stray hair behind her ear and met his gaze; "I'm fine, just a little bit sore."

"This is so painful to watch" Meredith mumbled to herself. She then stood up from the couch and began gathering their trash; she stacked the two trays together and placed her brown bag on top of it. "I'll just ask maintenance to pick this up for us later, Apes."

April turned her head towards Meredith; "Are you leaving already?" she asked anxiously.

Meredith fished her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket and hung it around her neck; "Yep, still need to do rounds" she replied.

April turned towards Cristina and threw her a pleading look.

"Can't stay, I have patients' too" Cristina said.

"Okay" April said with a nervous chuckle.

Cristina pointed her finger at Jackson; "He can stay and keep you company" she suggested.

Jackson opened his mouth to make excuses but Meredith patted him _hard_ on the back; she then turned towards April and smiled brightly. "Now this is who I'm talking about Apes, most powerful vote among us, you need to take it with him" she said before scurrying towards the door and closing it behind her with a snap.

April's eyes widen in horror.

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest and asked; "What do you need my vote for?"

April chuckled nervously and waived him off; "Don't mind Mer, she's just talking nonsense."

Jackson narrowed his eyes at her; he then moved closer and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Come on Apes, Mer won't mention it if it was nonsense, so what is it?" he cajoled.

"You really want to hear it?"

Jackson bobbed his head before throwing her an encouraging smile; "Go, shoot."

"I—I was kinda telling Mer about the hospital food that's being served to the patients...I kinda told her that it sucks...I mean, really sucks...like shitty sucks and since she's a board member she—err—she can do something about it" April babbled nervously.

Jackson's eyes widen in surprise and before he realizes it, he fell into fits of laughter.

April's forehead creases in annoyance; "I knew it! I told you it was nonsense but you insisted on hearing it anyway! And it's not funny Jackson! Patients don't deserve shitty food!" she said shrilly.

Jackson bit his bottom lip hard to control himself from lashing out in laughter again; he then took a couple of deep breaths before he was able to speak. "Shitty food? What did they serve you?"

"You want an honest answer?"

"Of course" Jackson said with a straight face.

April wrinkled her nose in disgust; "It's broth-y like, definitely colour brown, but I'm not sure what it is, I just forced myself to eat it because I'm super hungry."

Jackson stared at her for a moment before his shoulders began shaking in mirth again; he then hunched forward and braised his hands on his knees before howling in the hilarity of her answer.

April crossed her arms on top of her chest and pouted.

Jackson noticing April's grouchy reaction shook his head to clear his thoughts; he then straightened himself again and cleared his throat. "Come on Apes, don't tell me you don't find it funny?" he said while wiggling his brows.

April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling at his antics; "I'm glad you find my misfortune amusing" she said dryly.

Jackson kept smiling; "Really? Broth-y like and brown?" he coaxed.

April looked away; trying to hide the smile that erupted from her lips; "Whatever."

Jackson noticing it, chuckled; "Fine, I'll talk to Human Resource and have them evaluate the current caterer that runs the kitchens" he acquiesced.

April's eyes widen in surprise; she then turned her head to face him and studied his face. "Are you serious?"

"I am" Jackson affirmed with a smile.

April narrowed her eyes before leaning forward and slapping his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Jackson yelped as he nurses his stinging arm.

"That's for being cheeky!" April reprimanded.

Jackson glowered; "I'm not being cheeky! I'm actually granting your request, a thank you would've sufficed."

April glared back; "You can't just agree without thinking about it first! What if I'm just messing with you? What if I don't mean it and I'm just being a baby about it?" she challenged.

"Well are you?"

"Of course not!"

Jackson smiled at her cheekily; "Then there's your answer" he quipped.

April stared at him for a moment before pursing her lips.

Jackson studied her reaction; "What's wrong?"

April sighed; "It's just that...it's just that you gave in so easily. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's actually a good thing that the food won't be shitty but I never expected that you would actually consider it without a formal proposal or something..." she admitted.

"Did you expect me to ask you to put it in writing?"

April slowly nodded; "Well, yeah. You always ask the other Attendings' to do so," she pointed out.

"Well, this is different."

"Jackson..."

Jackson's eyes hardened as he stared at her; "I don't understand why it can't be _that_ easy. It's not like you're asking for money or something, it's just food we'll be re-evaluating and there's already a fixed allotment for that so it won't be that complicated" he insisted.

April finally decided to admit what's really bothering her; "I just don't want people thinking that you're evaluating the whole thing because it's me who's complaining. I mean, it's bad enough that my room is upgraded to a VIP Suite when my insurance only covers for a private room..."

"April-"

April shook her head; "I—I know I am your best friend but I shouldn't get more special treatment. I'm still one of your Attendings' and if I want to have the food evaluated I should put it in writing."

Jackson stared her for a moment before standing up; he then stuffed his hand inside his lab coat's pocket and cleared his throat. "If that's what you want then we'll do it that way."

April met his gaze and let out a relieved smile; "Thank you. I'll work on it after I'm discharged."

Jackson nodded; "There's something you should know though..."

"What?"

"Your room was not upgraded to this VIP Suite just because you're my best friend. It was upgraded because the _whole _board decided to put you in here" Jackson said.

"Oh."

Jackson smiled before continuing; "They wanted you to be comfortable and well taken care of because they also consider you as one of their own. I know you'll think that perks like this is not presented to all Attendings' in this hospital but come on, you're April Kepner, your one of us, even before we were labelled with this stupid titles."

April bowed her head; trying to hide her embarrassment.

Jackson shifted closer the bed and leaned forward; he placed his finger underneath April's chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. "You shouldn't be embarrassed about something that you can't help. You're not getting any special treatment Apes; you're just being treated like familybecause that's how you are seen in this hospital."

April's lips began to wobble as tears started pooling in her eyes.

Jackson playfully pinched her chin before pulling his hand away; "Don't cry on me Kepner because Grey will have my ass if she finds out that you've been crying again" he teased.

April let out a chuckle before wiping her eyes with her hands; "I guess I don't really have to put much effort into my proposal then" she joked.

Jackson threw her a loop sided smile; "I promise to read it thoroughly, if it makes you feel better" he jested.

April rolled her eyes; "Whatever!"

Jackson laughed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Day Two: April's Post Op:**

Jackson just finished washing his hands when Arizona sauntered in; she walked towards the sink and stood beside him. "Good job Avery, that was perfect. If Mark was here, he would've been so proud..." she whispered.

Jackson paused and turned towards the Ped's Attending; "I hope so..." he muttered.

Arizona shifted towards Jackson and smiled; "I know so..."

Jackson smiled back; "Thank you" he said sincerely.

Arizona patted his back; "You're welcome."

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was just climbing back on her bed when Meredith stepped inside her room; she settled herself comfortably on her pillows and threw the general surgeon a bright smile. "Good Morning Mer"

"Looks like Little Miss Sunshine is back" Meredith observed with a smile.

April laughed; "I'm just feeling chipper today."

Meredith walked towards the side of the bed and braised her hand on the side railings; "No shitty food today?" she teased.

April bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze shyly; "Err—"

Meredith smirked; "What did Jackson say?" she asked curiously.

April cleared her throat; "Err—he told me that he'll consider it and re-evaluate..." she replied.

Meredith studied her friend's weird reaction and furrowed her brows; "That's good news, why do you look so glum all of a sudden?" she asked.

"Errr-"

"April-?"

April shifted and moved her gaze towards Meredith; "Why is my room upgraded to this VIP Suite Mer? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this room but my insurance only covers for a regular private room and-"

Meredith took off her hands from the side railing and gestured for April to stop mumbling by holding her pointer finger up; "Why are you bringing up the room?" she asked confusedly.

April lowered her eyes and began picking her blankets.

"Kepner-?"

April took a deep breath before meeting Meredith's eyes again; "It's just that hearing Jackson telling me that he'd consider it right away made me think about things..."she admitted.

"What things?" Meredith asked.

April swallowed hard and averted her gaze again; "It—it makes me think that I'm somehow getting a special treatment that I don't deserve and—"

"Stop right there" Meredith warned. She then hastily lowered the side railing and sat at her friend's bed side; "Where are these thoughts coming from?" she asked.

"I—I just don't want to be given privileges' because—just because I'm Jackson's best friend..." April admitted, insecurity evident in her voice.

Meredith immediately understood what the red head is pointing at; she then smiled at her fondly and gently moved her hand to give April's arm a squeeze. "You're being silly Apes,"

April's eyes shifted towards Meredith.

"You didn't get this room because you're Jackson's best friend. We decided to move you here instead because we all want you to be well taken care of."

"R—really? But you guys find me annoying-always picking on me..."

Meredith chuckled; "Okay, think about it this way. We see you as a younger sister that we all love to tease because you're such an easy target. We pick on you most of the time because you make it just so easy to ruffle your feathers and we're not even trying. But Apes, that doesn't mean we don't care for you and we don't see you as one our own. You're family, part of our family here and wanting to give you the best care in this hospital is only natural and due" she explained.

April felt warmth in her chest as she digests Meredith's words; Jackson was right, she's in, she's really in. Having that thought in mind she impulsively leaned forward and pulled the other surgeon into a hug.

Meredith returned the hug and patted the red head's back comfortingly.

"Dude, what's with the hugging? Is she bawling her eyes out again?"

April squeaked in surprise before pulling away from Meredith; she turned her head towards her visitor and huffed. "Nice to see you too Alex"

Alex snorted as he stepped in; he then moved towards the bed and stood right in front of Meredith. "Is Kepner being stubborn again?"

Meredith stood up from her perch and shook her head; "Nope, she's just being her old silly self" she replied with a smile.

"Hey!"

Alex snickered; "Basketcase then," he teased.

April rolled her eyes but a faint smile can be seen on her lips.

Meredith shifted towards the bed and gestured for April's tummy; "Can I? I need to check if the wound is healing correctly" she said.

April nodded and began tugging her gown up; she pulled it too hard and winced when pain erupted from her incision. "Ouch!"

Alex threw April a disbelieving look; "Really?"

April made a face before leaning back on her pillows; "I didn't mean to pull so hard. I'm sure it's okay" she said.

Meredith leaned forward to look closely; she carefully peeked through the dressings and nodded. "Everything looks good."

April threw Alex a triumphant look.

Alex rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arm on top of his chest; "She'll be indisposed up until next week right?" he asked, turning to the other surgeon.

"Yep,"

April groaned; "Don't remind me."

Alex snickered; "Don't look too disappointed Apes, I'm sure the pit won't miss you" he said.

Meredith elbowed Alex and threw April a smile; "Look at the bright side Apes, you can use your free time to review for your boards, that won't be so bad."

April thought for a second before nodding in agreement; "You're right."

"You'll crush them this year I'm sure, don't think about it too much" Alex said nonchalantly.

Meredith threw April a _"see-what-I-mean" _look before hooking her arm around Alex's; "Come on evil spawn, let's leave this poor girl alone, we have a pit to run" she said.

Alex shrugged his shoulders before pulling Meredith with him; "Later Kepner!" he said with a waive.

Meredith winked at her before following Alex's lead.

April watched her friends leave her room with a smile.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hey Avery the man I just wanted to see" Owen Hunt said as he fell into step with him.

"Hey Chief" Jackson greeted.

"I just received a call from Mass Gen's Chief of Surgery" Owen said.

Jackson paused; he then turned towards Owen and narrowed his eyes. "Why? What does he want?"

Owen stopped and stuffed his hands inside his lab coat's pocket; "He offered me an Exchange Attendings' Program."

"Huh? Does that even exist?"

"That was my initial reaction too because it's the first time I heard about it but he said something that peeked my interest and I think we and the whole board should sit on it" Owen said.

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest; "I guess we should, I'll tell them once I see them" he said.

Owen patted the young surgeon's shoulder approvingly and smiled; "I'll reserve the conference room on the West Wing. I'll see you guys there in an hour" he said before walking away.

Jackson watched Owen disappear around the corner before continuing his trek; he was about to head towards the lifts when Callie stepped beside him.

"Hey Jackson!" Callie greeted.

Jackson turned towards the Ortho Surgeon; "We have a meeting in an hour, Hunt told me to round you guys up. West Wing conference room."

Callie pursed her lips; "My day hasn't even started yet and you just have to ruin it with a boring board meeting!"

Jackson chuckled; "Blame Hunt, he's the one who requested it."

"Hey guys!"

Jackson and Callie turned around and saw Meredith and Alex walking towards them.

Alex stopped and stared at Callie; "What's wrong with your face?"

Callie scowled; "There's nothing wrong with my face Karev,"

Meredith chuckled.

Jackson shook his head before fixing his gaze towards Meredith; "We have a meeting in an hour, West Wing conference room. Tell your other half and your other, other half too" he said.

Meredith groaned; "Really? It's too early for that!"

"Sing it Grey!" Callie pipped in.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "I didn't want this as well, Hunt practically bribed me to round you guys up. Not my meeting, not my fault" he replied.

Alex made a face; "Make sure that you include this freaking elevator in your meeting, its taking its freaking time every damn day!" he said before turning on his heel and sauntering towards the staircase.

Meredith watched her friend in amusement before turning to Callie; "Find your wife as soon as your able, we have to be there in time so we don't have to prolong the agony of just sitting there with papers. We have people to cut and lives to save."

"I'm on it" Callie said before plucking her phone from her pocket.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"So just to be clear, Mass Gen is offering an Attending swap for the duration of one year so they can cross-train under different mentors?" Derek clarified.

Owen nodded; "Exactly."

"Do we get to pick the specialties?" Arizona asked with interest.

Owen paused before shaking his head; "That's what I actually wanted to discuss with you guys. Dr. Kurt told me that only pre-selected specialties will participate into this program."

Jackson frowned; "Did he tell you why?"

"Mass Gen hand-picked them because they cross-matched their department deficiencies with ours. They wanted both hospitals to train under each other's wing so every patient can get the same level of care under the tutelage of the best surgeons on their specific field in this country."

Cristina whistled; "Looks like they thought about this thoroughly."

Owen nodded; "They did that's why it's hard to pass on this offer. Don't get me wrong, we have the best people in this hospital but we can't deny that Mass Gen has their share. It would be a privilege for the hospital and it will definitely benefit our Attendings' in the long run."

Derek nodded in agreement; "It actually makes sense" he said.

"So, do you have a list of the specialties that their interested in?" Callie asked curiously.

Owen leaned forward and pulled out copies of paper from a folder; "Dr. Kurt faxed me the list, I reprinted it so each one of you can have one" he said before passing it around.

Meredith received her copy and began perusing its contents; "Wow, you're not exaggerating when you said that their specific."

Owen chuckled; "Dr. Kurt is very clear with what he wants" he replied.

Jackson perused his copy; "When are they expecting a response?"

Owen leaned back on his chair; "After the boards, so that gives us roughly two weeks to speak with our people."

"Good thinking" Derek said thoughtfully.

"Cardio! Well, I for one, will consider this. I mean Mass Gen has top notch Cardio Thoracic surgeons." Cristina said excitedly.

Owen threw his wife a smile; "I knew you'd volunteer in a heartbeat."

Cristina smiled back.

Meredith glared at Cristina; "We'll have to talk about it first."

Cristina rolled her eyes.

Jackson cleared his throat; "Is this meeting over? Can we go now?" he asked.

Owen stood up and began gathering his things from the table; "Yep, you can all go. Thank you."

Jackson instantly shot up from his chair and hastily walked towards the door; he yanked it open and breezed out without even looking back.

"What happened to him?" Callie asked her wife.

Arizona shrugged her shoulders; "No idea."

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was reading a magazine when Jackson stormed inside her room unannounced; she watched him opened his mouth to speak only to close it again and start pacing. "What's wrong?"

Jackson paused mid step and turned towards her bed; "Can I talk to you? I mean, like how we talk before?" he asked.

April raised her brow; "What's wrong with how we talk now?"

Jackson shook his head; "I need to talk to you like how we talk before, I need to talk to April my best friend" he said agitatedly.

April studied his face before letting out deep breath; "I'm still your best friend Jackson regardless of what I told you last week. Now, tell me already, what crawled up your ass and died?"

Jackson stared at her for a couple of minutes before shifting closer to the bed; he closed his fists tightly and clenched his jaw. "My Mom is doing it again."

"What do you mean?"

"Mass Gen's Chief of Surgery just called Hunt this morning offering an Attendings' Exchange Program"

April furrowed her brows; "I didn't know we have those..."

"Exactly!" Jackson blurted out. He then shoved his hands roughly inside his lab coat's pockets and began pacing again. "I feel it! It's my Mom's way of showing me that if I can't go to Mass Gen then she's bringing Mass Gen to me!" he said in frustration.

"What exactly is the exchange for? Did Hunt tell you?" April asked calmly.

Jackson huffed; "Mass Gen pretty much sent us a list of the specialties they want to cross train with us. And of course, Cardio Thoracic Surgery is on the damn list" he said sarcastically.

April cringed.

"My mom is ringing that damn bell again and I hate it! This is stupid! I already chose my specialty and I already trained under the best mentor anyone could ever wish for! Why won't she just let it go?" Jackson bellowed as he continues with his pacing.

April felt bad for him, she really did; she understands how sensitive this topic is for Jackson and she can't help but want to comfort him like the way she always did before. He may act indifferent about it to other people but not her, his best friend. Having thought of that, she decided to push her own issues aside and do what she always does. "Come here."

Jackson paused and narrowed his eyes at her; "What?"

April scooted to the other side of her bed and patted the space beside her silently.

Jackson stared at her daftly.

April rolled her eyes; "Come here and sit" she instructed.

Jackson eyed the space with uncertainty for a couple of seconds before moving; he slowly moved towards the bed sat down, making sure to maintain a respectable distance.

April rolled her eyes again and pulled him closer; she pushed him down on her pillows and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Jackson stiffened; "What—what are you doing?"

"You said you wanted your old best friend today, so here I am" April snapped.

"Oh."

April took a deep calming breath as she willed her body to relax; "I know this is really hard for you because your mom hasn't been subtle in letting you know what she wants but that doesn't mean that she's not proud of what you've achieved..." she threaded carefully.

Jackson's body started to loosen up so he lifted his legs from the floor, fully reclining on the bed; he then leaned his head on top hers and scoffed. "I'm sure she is."

April hit his chest with the back of her hand in a chastising matter; "She is."

Jackson snorted.

April bit her bottom lip before speaking again; "Don't be mad at me but I think the program is a good idea" she softly said.

Jackson let out a defeated sigh.

April took that a sign to continue; "Mass Gen has an impressive roster of Specialists' that Attendings' here can benefit from. I know Cardio Thoracic is definitely on the list but your Mom didn't even mention it when she was here. For all we know, she may not even be aware about this Mass Gen hype."

Jackson let out another sigh; "I doubt that..."

"You have nothing to worry about because they can't force you to do something you don't want to do" April said confidently. "Besides, I'm sure Cristina will be volunteering for that spot and Chief Hunt will let her because he just can't say no to her."

Jackson sniggered; "She pretty much claimed the spot during the meeting."

April giggled; "See? You have nothing to worry about Jackman. All you have to think about is how to make the Plastic Posse live forever."

Jackson smiled upon hearing his old nickname; "You called me Jackman, it's been awhile since I last heard that."

April laughed; "I can't very much call my boss Jackman now, can I?" she teased.

Jackson chuckled before lifting his arm and pulling her fully into his chest; "Shut up, I'm not your boss, I'm just your Jackman and thank you..." he whispered.

"For what?"

"For putting my perspective back into place. You've always been able to do that, you've always been good in making me feel better..."

April smiled to herself; "You've always done the same for me so we're on equal footing."

Jackson nodded; "Yeah..."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Edwards! You're in my service today, give me an update" Alex barked out.

Stephanie quickly walked towards the Ped's Attending and started spouting the status report inside the pit; "Drunk guy in bed 1, sprained knee in bed 2 and I already paged for an Ortho consult. Abdominal pain in bed 3, I already ordered labs and another drunk guy in bed 4."

Alex nodded his head in approval; "Good, scoot!" he said dismissively.

Stephanie let out a sigh of relief and quickly walked towards the nurses' station.

"Looks like Kepner trained her well," Bailey observed.

Alex snorted; "I don't know how she did it, but miraculously she did."

Bailey snapped her chart close and turned towards her former resident; "What'd you mean?"

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Let see, Kepner boinked Avery and pretty boy broke her heart. Then he started boinking Edwards right after Kepner set them up. Then Edwards was rotated to her service not long after she found out. If you were in Kepner's shoes, will you be able to train the woman your man boinked right after he dumped you?" he asked.

Bailey cringed; "Where'd you learn all that?"

Alex smirked; "I have my ways."

Bailey shuddered in distaste; "You're a big gossip Karev, you should be ashamed, very ashamed."

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "What can I do, I hear stuff."

Bailey shook her head before walking away.

"Karev! Are you antagonizing Bailey again?" Arizona snapped.

Alex turned around to face his mentor; "Of course not, she asked, I just answered."

Arizona rolled her eyes; she then stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets and moved towards him. "There's something we should talk about, what time will you be off pit duties?"

Alex furrowed his brows; "What are we talking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"We'll talk about it after your duties here, so what time?" Arizona asked, brushing off his questions.

Alex took a peek at his watch; "I still have an hour left."

Arizona chirped brightly; "Perfect. Just go to Ped's as soon as you're done here, okay?"

Alex nodded; "Okay."

Arizona turned on her heels and began walking away.

"What was that?" Alex asked himself.

"Dr. Karev! Incoming Trauma, car accident. Patient is severely burned but vitals are stable."

"Edwards! Page Avery and follow me to Trauma room 1!" Alex yelled to his intern before rushing towards the incoming gurney.

oOo

Jackson opened his eyes groggily when he felt his pockets vibrating; he examined his surrounding sleepily before grunting loudly.

"You're finally up."

Jackson turned his head and met April's eyes. "Did I wake you?" he asked.

April pulled away and tried her best to sit up; "You dozed off while we're talking, I wanted to wake you but you just looked so tired so I let you sleep."

Jackson also sat up, yawning; "I'm having troubles sleeping lately, how long was I out?" he asked.

"An hour or two, give or take."

"Really? It felt like hours" Jackson replied with a perplexed look on his face.

April smiled; "I bet it did, you were snoring like an over sized grizzly bear" she teased.

Jackson looked abashed.

April chuckled; she then moved to the side and slowly climbed off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

April grabbed her IV line and began walking briskly towards the bathroom; "I have to pee."

"Walk slower, you're not allowed to run yet."

"Easy for you to say, you haven't been holding it for over an hour!" April chimed as she closes the door behind her.

Jackson furrowed his brow in confusion; he then stood up from the bed and pulled out his phone from his pocket. "If you need to pee then why didn't you go sooner?"

"I would've if you hadn't been holding on to me with your dear life!"

Jackson froze like a deer caught in headlights.

April yanked the bathroom door open as the sound of flushing echoed behind her; she stepped back into her room, eyeing him as she moved towards the bed. "Don't look too shock, you've always been extra clingy when something's bothering you" she said nonchalantly.

Jackson's breath caught in his throat as he continues to stare at April silently.

April climbed up her bed and covered her legs with her blanket; she then turned her eyes towards Jackson and raised her brow. "What?"

Jackson seem to snap out of his trance and cleared his throat; "N—nothing" he stuttered.

April gestured towards his beeping pager; "You might want to check that."

Jackson unsnapped the pager from his pants and read the message, his brows furrowing.

"Everything okay?"

Jackson met her gaze before shoving the pager into his lab coat's pocket; "Err—yeah, it's just...it's just Stephanie" he explained.

"Oh." April gasped.

Jackson mentally cursed himself before trying his best to rectify the situation; "She just need a consult at the pit."

April averted her gaze and nodded; "You should go then, don't keep her waiting."

"It's not what you think it's really a-"

April met his gaze and smiled sadly; "Just go Jackson, it's alright" she said dismissively. She then leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes.

Jackson stared at her for a moment before dejectedly stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

April's eyes instantly snapped open upon hearing the sound of the door closing; she then let out a bone weary sigh and shook her head. "You have to stop hurting yourself like this, he already made it clear that he just wants you as his best friend and nothing more. He's in a relationship with another woman so you better stop thinking that this is more than what it really is, just stop..." she murmured to herself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson just entered the pit when he saw Stephanie walking towards him; "Car accident patient, severely burned, trauma room 1" she said before handing him a fresh set of yellow gown.

Jackson immediately slipped it on as he sauntered towards the room; "Who's your Attending?" he asked.

Stephanie fell into step with him; "Dr. Karev" she replied.

Jackson nodded before pushing through the door; "What do we have here?" he asked.

Alex turned towards him; "Car accident, superficial lacerations on the chest and arms. Possible head contusion and severe burns on his legs" he replied.

Jackson slipped on a pair of latex gloves; "And this day keeps getting better and better..." he mumbled to himself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Day Three: Last day of April's Post Op:**

"Knock knock"

April's head turned towards the door; "Chief" she gasped, clearly surprised.

Owen stepped inside the room and strolled towards his student's bed; "How are you doing?" he asked with a smile.

April smiled back; "I'm fine, dying to get out of here."

Owen chuckled as he stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "You and just like every patient here."

April laughed; "Well, I kinda understand them now."

"So...I came here because I wanted to ask you something."

April sat straighter on her bed and placed her hands on her lap; "Shoot."

Owen took a deep breath; "I received a call from Mass Gen yesterday and they told me that their interested in conducting an Attendings' Exchange Program. It's unheard off I know but it's happening, this program will actually allow each hospitals Attendings' to work under the tutelage of this country's best surgeons" he explained.

April nodded; because she pretty much know how it works since Jackson already told her yesterday.

Owen took that a sign to continue; "The specialties included in this exchange are specifically hand-picked and fortunately Trauma is included in the roster" he said.

April's eyes widen.

Owen smiled; "Dr. Carlisle O'Brien is one of my colleagues and he's currently the head of Trauma in Mass Gen. I've worked with him in Iraq and he's one of the best."

"What—what are you saying Chief?"

Owen shifted closer and sat himself at the foot of the bed; "I'm offering you a spot Kepner, if you want it, it's yours" he simply said.

April's jaw dropped open as she tried to digests what her mentor just said.

Owen seeing his student's reaction, chuckled; "Don't look too shock Kepner, you're an excellent surgeon, you deserve the spot."

April swallowed hard; "But—but-I'm not a board certified surgeon...I'm pretty sure Mass Gen would rather train a surgeon who didn't fail their boards" she stuttered.

Owen leaned forward and gently squeezed her shaking hands; "You will be a certified surgeon after you take your boards so I'm pretty sure Carlisle will be honoured to teach you."

April felt her face turn beet red so she averted her gaze shyly; "But Chief...I don't think I deserve the spot—I mean there are other deserving Attendings' here...like Jenkins! Yes, Jenkins! He's been working so hard and he deserves the spot."

Owen paused for a second before speaking again; "I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of ever since I got this job and I know that I haven't been the best mentor that I should've been when I took you under my wing. Now, I'm given the chance to rectify that and I won't think twice about giving you that opportunity again. You're a brilliant surgeon April, you always have been. I saw so much potential in you when we had that certification and I'm still seeing it every time a new trauma comes into this hospital. Don't let one failure keep you from turning into a surgeon you're meant to be."

Tears well April's eyes as she listened; "I—I don't know what to say..."

Owen squeezed her hands again; "Promise me you'll think about it and we'll go from there."

April sniffed and nodded; "I promise Chief..." she replied with a bright smile.

Owen pulled his hand away and smiled widely; "That's what I want to hear."

April chuckled before wiping her eyes; "Wow...Mass Gen...Wow..." she said, clearly in a daze.

Owen chuckled; "Well I'll leave you to it" he said before turning on his heel and stepping out of the room.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was sitting on the bench outside the pit when Jackson saw him; he walked towards his friend and plopped down beside him.

Alex turned his head sideways and frowned; "What do you know about the Attendings' Exchange Program that Robbins is blabbering about?"

Jackson leaned back on the bench and crossed his legs lazily; "How'd you know?" he asked.

Alex leaned forward and braised his elbows on top of his knees; "Robbins told me about it last night, she wants me to consider it."

"Are you considering it?"

Alex averted his gaze and opted to look ahead; "Off the record?"

Jackson nodded; "Off the record" he confirmed.

"I'm not."

Jackson's eyes widen in surprise; "She did inform you that you'll be back in a year right?" he asked.

"She did."

"Then why are you not considering it? Mass Gen's Pediatric Program has the same calibre as Hopkins."

Alex took deep breath before answering; "It just doesn't feel right you know. Now I understand how Mer felt, how you felt."

Jackson stared at his friend for a moment before nodding in agreement.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"KEPNER!"

April's head snapped towards her bed side and was surprised to see Meredith and Cristina standing there; "Oh hey guys."

"We've been calling your name for ages here. What's wrong with you?" Cristina asked.

April's cheeks flush as she let out an embarrassed laugh; "I-I was just thinking about something" she replied.

Meredith smiled; "Based from the flush in your cheeks, I bet your fantasizing about some Jackson action?" she teased.

April's eyes widen in shock; her cheeks flushing an alarming shade of red.

Cristina howled in laughter.

April cleared her throat and tried her best to look stern; "That was not funny Dr. Grey. It's-it's inappropriate and I'm your patient!" she said shrilly.

Meredith waived her hand dismissively; "Loosen up Apes, I'm just messing with you" she said with a smile.

Cristina shifted closer to the bed and plopped down; "If you're not fantasizing about McPretty then why are you staring at the wall with a smile like a loon?"

April licked her lips; "I just spoke with Chief Hunt and—and he offered me a spot for the Attendings' Exchange Program with Mass Gen..."

Meredith's eyes widen in surprise.

Cristina smiled widely; "Are you taking it? Because if you are we can definitely be roomies!" she exclaimed.

"You're going too?" April asked excitedly.

Cristina nodded jovially.

Meredith cleared her throat.

Cristina cringed and turned towards Meredith; "I—Err—I'm still weighing my options."

Meredith then turned her gaze towards the other surgeon and lifted her brow; "What about you? Are you jumping into the Mass Gen ship too?" she asked.

April stared at Meredith with uncertainty; she then moved her eyes towards Cristina and saw her subtly shaking her head. "Err-I'm still thinking about it...I—err—I still have to pass my boards first so, I'm not sure about it yet, yep, definitely not sure" she mumbled.

Meredith narrowed her eyes at her friends.

Cristina hopped off of the bed and hastily stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "Well, I'm off. I still have a cardio consult. I'll see you later!" she said before scampering away.

April stared at the Cardio Surgeon in disbelief.

Meredith huffed and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I can't believe she's actually considering it! She's actually leaving me for the second time! First Mayo now Mass Gen and she can't even talk to me about it! I'm her person! I deserve to know!" she seethed.

April shifted in her bed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Meredith moved her gaze at April; "And you! Have you even told Jackson about it? He's still your person, he deserves to know too!"

"I—err—I will tell him. Yep, I will tell him after my boards." April replied while throwing the frantic surgeon an appeasing smile.

Meredith narrowed her eyes at April before plopping down on the bed; "You should tell him as soon as possible, I don't think Jackson will take it kindly if he finds out that you're leaving without saying as much as goodbye."

April chuckled; "I doubt that, he's kinda pre-occupied lately and I'm pretty sure he won't even notice I'm gone, it's just for a year."

Meredith's face softened upon hearing April's words; she shifted closer and offered a small smile. "I'm pretty sure he would."

April looked away; she then began picking on her blankets before meeting Meredith's gaze again. "To be honest I really don't want to leave Mer...Even if it's just for a year..." she confessed.

Meredith's eyes widen in surprise; "Then why are you even considering it?"

April took a deep breath; "I just think that the distance will do me good you know...to forget..." she said.

"You're leaving because of Jackson? You're not fighting for him anymore?" Meredith asked cautiously.

"I already fought the battle and I already lost, landslide. He just wants me as a best friend and nothing more. Me leaving is my way of somehow giving in to what he wants because if I stay here, I don't think I can go back pretending to being his asexual best friend and I don't think I will like what I will turn into if do that." April explained.

"Oh Apes..."

April leaned forward and squeezed Meredith's hand; "Jackson was a beautiful dream but a dream none the less. Sooner or later I have to wake up because if I don't, life will pass me by. So now, I'm using this wonderful opportunity that Chief Hunt offered me, I'm choosing to live my life like I've always planned, this time, I'm choosing me."

Meredith squeezed April's hand back.

April let out a sad smile; "I'll be fine. I'm gonna be fine. I just need time to suck it all up."

Meredith took a deep breath; "Jackson is lucky have you, he's just too stupid to realize it" she said.

April chuckled; "He does have his moments" she joked.

Meredith laughed.

"Thank you for listening, it's nice to have a female friend" April said.

"No problem."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Why is everybody so depressing and sulky today?" Cristina asked as she stood right in front of her friends.

"Why are you acting like a ray of sunshine all of the sudden? Are you channelling Kepner today?" Alex replied sarcastically.

"Hey!" Jackson chided.

Cristina smiled smugly; "As a matter of fact I am."

Alex frowned; "Why? What got you shooting rainbows?"

Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her chin proudly; "I will take a spot on the Mass Gen project."

"You already decided?" Jackson asked.

Cristina nodded.

"Does Mer know?" Alex asked.

Cristina's smile faltered; "She knows that I'm still thinking about it" she said.

Alex huffed; "Well you better tell her if you're going. The last time I tried to leave without saying goodbye she almost killed me" he said.

Cristina sighed; "I'll let the idea sink in first before I tell her again."

Alex nodded; "That'll work."

"Anyone else we know?" Jackson asked, referring to program.

Alex turned sideways; "Dude, you're the chair of the board, you should know these things."

"Dude, I wouldn't be asking you guys if I have the slightest idea." Jackson quipped.

Cristina chuckled; "Don't harass pretty boy, he doesn't know everything. Owen is the one who's been picking on Department Head's and everything is under wraps." She then eyed Alex with interest; "I'm pretty sure Robbins saved you spot, so are you going?" she asked.

Alex stood up from the bench and stuffed his hand inside his lab coat's pocket; "She did but I'm not sure if I'm going" he admitted.

Cristina frowned, clearly confused. "Why?"

Alex sighed; "It just doesn't feel right."

"Too bad, Kepner and I would've adopted you as our roommate."

Jackson stiffened.

Alex raised his brow; "Kepner is going?" he asked.

Cristina nodded; "I just came from her room a couple of minutes ago. Owen offered her a spot and it looks like she's considering it big time, she looks _excited_" she said, emphasizing the last word before turning her gaze Inconspicuously towards Jackson.

Alex subtlety moved his eyes towards the Plastic Attending too before responding; "Wow, that's great. I'm sure Kepner's shooting rainbows by now" he said.

Jackson's eyes darkened as he continued to stare at the pavement.

"Yeah she is, she was gushing over it when Mer and I mentioned the topic, she was-"

Jackson immediately shot up from the bench and roughly shoved his hands inside his coat's pocket; "I have to go, I have a consult" he said before walking away without looking back.

Alex watched the Plastic Attending storm inside the E.R with a bang; he then turned his gaze towards Cristina and smirked. "Is Kepner really going?"

Cristina smirked back; "Not really but she's not shooting the idea down completely."

Alex laughed; "You're evil, you know that?"

"What can I say? I love drama besides his stupidity is getting into my nerves. I'm pretty sure I will lose the damn bet so I might as well kick it up a notch. Make him squirm a bit, pretty boy is being too complacent and not to mention too stupid for my taste" Cristina said with a shrug.

Alex shook his head; "You're one of a kind Yang, one of a kind" he said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson stormed inside the E.R. seething; he still can't believe that Hunt offered April a spot without telling him. His temper flared even more when Cristina pretty much told him that she's considering it; he clenched his fists tightly and shook his head. He can't deal with this right now, he still has a pit to run; he needs to shut his mind off before he decides to pummel the Chief of Surgery and argue with April until his face turns blue. He took a deep calming breath and began emptying his mind with murderous thoughts; he then focused his attention to nurses' station and saw his intern for the day flirting with an O.B. Fellow. "Wilson! Status update. Now!" he barked.

Jo Wilson quickly gathered the charts from the desk and slowly approached him, apprehension clearly written on her face.

Jackson felt his irritation ignite further; "Why don't you walk a little bit slower, I have all the time in the world" he snapped sarcastically.

Jo seem to pick up her Attending's foul mood so she ran towards him; "I'm sorry Dr. Avery, I didn't mean to-"

"Status. Report. Now."

Jo swallowed hard; "Kid with appendicitis on bed 1, I already paged Peds. Biking accident on bed 2, I already ordered scans to check if there are hemorrhages. Drunk guy in bed 3. Possible gallstones on bed 4, I already ordered labs and I'm still waiting for a consult from General. Broken femur on bed 5, I already paged Ortho" she said.

"Did you already get a consult for bed 4?" Jackson asked.

"I'm—I'm still waiting for Dr. Bailey, she's just finishing up with-" Jo stuttered.

Jackson closed his eyes as he took a deep calming breath; "Page. Grey. Now." he snapped.

"Y—yes Dr. Avery right away..." Jo said shakily before scampering away.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"As much as I want to stay and chat I have to go. Wilson is paging me 911 at the pit" Meredith said before hopping off of the bed.

April nodded; "Go. Scoot."

Meredith shoved her pager inside her pocket and ran towards the door; "Talk to you later!" she said before disappearing from the door.

April leaned back on the pillows and groaned; "I miss work" she said to herself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith pushed the E.R. doors open and strolled in; she pulled her stethoscope from her coat's pocket and slung it around her neck.

"Dr. Grey! Over here!"

Meredith saw the intern beside bed 4; she made her way towards her and cleared her throat. "What do we have here?" she asked.

"Possible gallstones, I already ordered the labs and I'm still waiting for the result" Jo replied.

Meredith turned towards her patient; "Hi, I'm Doctor Grey and I'll be your consult for today. I'm just waiting for your lab results so just try to relax" she said.

The patient grunted in response.

Meredith smiled at the patient tightly; "Please excuse us for a moment." She then shifted away from the bed and signalled for the intern to follow her. Once they're out of sight and earshot she glared at the intern; "Why the hell did you page me 911 Wilson? You don't even have lab results yet!" she spat.

Jo cringed; "I'm—I'm sorry Dr. Grey I wanted to wait but Dr. Avery insisted to have you paged" she explained nervously.

Meredith narrowed her eyes; "Did Avery know that the lab results aren't here yet?" she asked.

Jo nodded vigorously.

"Where is Dr. Avery?" Meredith asked while scanning the E.R.

Jo swallowed hard; "He's in Trauma room 1" she replied.

Meredith shifted her gaze back towards the intern; "I'll talk to Dr. Avery. Find me as soon as you the results back" she said before turning on her heel and walking towards room.

Jackson was slamming the top drawer shut when the door suddenly flew open; "You're patient better not be coding Wilson because if he is I'll strangle you myself!" he snapped before moving to the next drawer.

"Are you so bored right now that you're thinking about strangling interns for fun?"

Jackson froze mid-pull and turned towards the voice; "Oh it's you" he deadpanned.

Meredith stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her; "What's your deal? Why are you being cranky?" she asked.

Jackson scoffed; "I'm not being cranky! The intern that's running my service today is just terrible."

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest; "Wilson isn't too bad, she actually gets the job done."

Jackson slammed the drawer shut; he then turned towards the other surgeon and braised his hands on his hips. "Is April taking the spot?"

Meredith's eyes widen in disbelief; "How did you-wait, did you ask Wilson to page me 911 just to ask me about that?" she asked.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "Of course not! I just asked her to page you for bed 4, did she page you 911?" he asked.

"She did!"

Jackson scoffed; "Now tell me she's not so bad."

Meredith studied her friend's face; "Is this why you're acting like a maniac slamming helpless drawers? Because you found out that April is considering it?"

Jackson eyed her for a moment before moving his hands towards his face, rubbing it furiously.

Meredith sighed; she then moved towards the Plastic Attending and pulled his hands away. "Stop that."

Jackson's hands fell limp to his side as he let out a defeated sigh; "I—I don't want her to leave...I don't understand why she's even considering it..." he admitted.

Meredith bit her tongue to keep herself from blurting out April's reasons; after she's sure that she won't give into the temptation, she opened her mouth to speak. "April hasn't made any solid decision yet, she's still weighing her options."

Jackson closed his eyes tightly; trying to keep his emotions at bay. "So she's really considering it. Do you think she'll leave?"

"Do you want her to stay?"

"Of course" Jackson automatically responded.

Meredith moved her hand towards his arm and gave it a soft squeeze; "Talk to her. Give her a reason to stay."

Jackson opened his eyes and shook his head; "I can't talk to her now, I can't face her" he admitted.

Meredith furrowed her brows; "Why?"

"I'm too worked up and too angry right now. I don't want to barge inside her room and spout things that I won't mean. I've already done enough damage and I don't want to add more. I'll talk to her once I cool down" Jackson said.

Meredith nodded; "That's probably for the best. The way your acting right now will probably scare April, well, probably not, she knows how to handle you after all" she said.

Jackson's demeanor instantly changed; slowly, a smile formed on his lips. "She does, she knows how to handle me at my worst, she always had that talent and I can't explain how."

Meredith smiled; "She's your person."

Jackson nodded; he then shifted towards the trauma bed and hopped up. "You know yesterday, I was so pissed about the crap with Mass Gen and I didn't know where to go. I went to her room without thinking and started yelling. I was so ready to call my mom and ask her to cut her bull but one touch from her is all it takes for me to calm down" he said.

Meredith moved towards the bed and hopped up too; she then shifted to face Jackson and waited for him to continue.

Jackson's smile faltered before he continued; "She still comforted me you know, even though I've been nothing but a douche to her. I know I don't deserve her kindness after everything and I know for a fact that she should choose to go but I just can't convince myself to let her...I'm selfish..." he said sadly.

"You should come clean to her and just tell her how you really feel" Meredith suggested.

Jackson licked his lips; "I want too, I really do. But every time I'm presented with a chance I just can't make myself speak. I just can't seem to suck it all up and forget the pain she caused me when she not subtly refused to start a life with me."

Meredith's eyes widen in shock; "You proposed?"

Jackson froze.

"Oh. My. God"

Jackson closed his eyes tightly as he mentally swore.

"Jackson!"

Jackson opened his eyes and turned his head sideways; he was about to open his mouth to confess but was disrupted by Wilson opening the door.

"Err-Dr. Grey, labs are in. It's gallstones..." Jo said nervously.

"Get out! I'll be with you in a minute!" Meredith snapped.

Jo cowered and closed the door hastily.

Jackson hopped off the bed and smiled at Meredith sheepishly; "Err-you should go" he said.

Meredith hopped off the bed too and narrowed her eyes at the Plastics Attending; she then crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her brow. "I'm not going anywhere unless you continue what you're about to say."

"But you have patient and he might—"

"The patient has gallstones, not coding, so start talking." Meredith snapped.

Jackson gazed at the general surgeon and saw no compromise in her eyes; he then let out a defeated sigh and started talking. "Fine. I asked her to marry me when we thought she was pregnant, I was all in and I was actually happy about it. I never thought I'd want kids but at that moment I really wanted one with her. Then her pregnancy test came back negative, I was still set on marrying her and giving her a huge field wedding with butterflies, she can even have those silly "_mint-to-be" _mints, that's how _in_ I was. But when she found out she's not, she looked so relieved, like a burden was lifted, like it was a huge burden marrying me and having my kid and that hurt like a bitch."

Meredith's jaw dropped open.

Jackson shifted and shoved his hands inside his lab coat's pocket; "Do you understand now why I wasn't able to answer her when she told me she wanted me? I didn't respond because I didn't know the answer, I didn't respond because I'm not sure if she knows what she wants" he said. He sniffed then lowered his eyes to the floor; "I want her for the long haul but I don't think she's ready for that yet, I can't make myself go that route again and I definitely can't lose my best friend just because I'm having troubles licking my wounds after she realizes that I was a mistake."

"If you feel that way then why are you with Edwards?" Meredith asked.

Jackson sighed; "This will make me much _douchier_ but Stephanie and I-we're not serious. She knows from the start that it's just sex but I think she's getting too attached in this so I'm planning on talking to her this weekend to let her know...I don't want to hurt her more than I already have..." he explained.

Meredith eyed Jackson for a moment before whistling; "You were not kidding when you told me that you and April are complicated, it was not just a _Facebook_ status" she said with smile.

Jackson burst out laughing.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Have you seen Steph? I haven't been seeing much of her lately" Jo said.

Shane took a sip of his soda before answering; "She's under Dr. Bailey's service that's why" he replied nonchalantly.

Jo nodded in understanding; "That makes sense, lucky her."

Shane made a face; "Lucky? How is she lucky? Bailey's running her ragged, she's always on night shift."

"I'd take on Bailey in a heartbeat." Jo said dramatically.

Shane smirked before crossing his arms on top of his chest; "I saw that you're under Dr. Avery's service, how is he so far?" he asked.

Jo shuddered.

Shane guffawed as he moved his eyes towards the Plastic Attending sitting a couple of tables away from them.

Jo shook her head and squared her shoulders; "I don't know how Steph deals with him. I mean, that guy can be mean if he wants too, he's so scary when he's pissed. Stop staring!" she hissed.

Shane moved his eyes back to his friend and asked curiously. "What did he do?"

Jo shuddered again; "I don't even want to remember it. I think I'll talk to Murphy and try to bribe her so we can switch Attendings'. I don't think I can last another day with him."

Shane chuckled; "That bad eh?" he said.

"That bad." Jo nodded in agreement.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Why are you not eating? You not liking the Spaghetti?" Alex asked before stuffing his mouth with a forkful.

Jackson made a face before pushing his plate away; "I'm really not that hungry" he replied.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "Suite yourself."

"Hey guys!" Meredith greeted as she places her tray on top of the table. She then pulled a chair and plopped down.

"How's your gallstone patient?" Jackson asked lazily.

"Stable and sedated" Meredith replied before picking up her fork.

Jackson nodded distractedly.

"Is that Kepner?"Alex said, pointing his fork towards the cafeteria door.

Jackson's head instantly snapped towards the direction that the Ped's Attending is pointing at before frowning.

Meredith turned towards the door and smiled; "It is, let me call her. APRIL!" she called out while waiving her hand.

"Is she even allowed to be here?" Alex asked.

Jackson lowered his gaze and began staring at his plate.

Meredith shifted his eyes towards Alex; "I don't see why she can't, she'll be discharged tomorrow."

"Oh right," Alex replied.

"Hey guys!" April chirped happily.

Alex grunted before shoving a forkful of pasta in his mouth again.

Meredith pulled the chair beside her and gestured for April to sit down; "Let me guess, you're dying of boredom."

April sat down slowly; "You have no idea". She then turned her gaze towards her unusually quiet best friend and smiled brightly; "Hey Jackman!"

"Hey" Jackson replied, his eyes still glued to his plate.

April furrowed her brows; "Are you okay?" she asked.

Jackson shifted on his chair; "I'm good." He then moved his eyes towards his watch and hastily stood up; "I—uhm—I have to go. I'll see you guys later" he said before bolting out of the cafeteria without looking back.

April watched Jackson's back disappearing from the door before moving her eyes towards the other two surgeons; "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

Alex snorted; "Dude is acting sulky all morning, maybe he's on his monthly."

Meredith laughed; "You're horrible Alex, really horrible."

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "Well it's true. You should've seen how he snaps at the interns the whole morning; it put's Yang into shame."

April blinked a couple of times; "That's weird, he's always pleasant to them, he's dating one."

"Today he isn't, it's quite painful to watch, honestly." Alex replied, completely ignoring her last reference.

Meredith huffed; "It's painful because it's Wilson who's on the receiving end. Give the poor man a break, he's allowed to have bad days."

Alex scoffed; "It's not just Wilson and I don't give a damn about her!"

"Mass Gen then." April concluded.

"Yep" Meredith replied.

Alex took a sip from his cup and stared at April with interest; "Yang told us you're sailing with the Mass Gen Ship, you excited?"

April's eyes widen in surprise; "Err-"

Meredith kicked Alex under the table, making him wince. She then turned towards April and smiled encouragingly; "April hasn't made any final decision yet but she has all the time in world to think."

April nodded in agreement; she then paused and suddenly a look of understanding dawned on her face. "Does—does Jackson know about this? I mean was he there when Yang told you?" she asked, clearly in panic.

Alex cleared his throat; obviously uncomfortable where the conversation was heading. "Err—yeah, he was but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with his—err—tantrums" he pacified.

Meredith kicked him again, glaring openly.

"Stop kicking me Mer, geez! I didn't tell McPretty anything! It was Cristina who tattled!" Alex yelped.

"I guess I have to talk to him sooner than I expected" April said resignedly. She then turned towards Meredith and threw her a mollifying smile; "Stop kicking Alex, it's okay. He would've found out anyway."

"He would," Meredith nodded.

"Nothing has been decided yet so I don't understand why it's such a big deal. I mean, a lot of things may still happen, you can still change your mind or he can change his mind, we'll never know. And it's as if you won't talk to him again" Alex said with exasperation.

April sighed; "It's complicated...Jackson and I. We don't work that way, it's better to diffuse the bomb now because if I wait longer, neither of us will like the aftermath."

Meredith smirked; "I've been hearing that a lot lately, interesting."

Alex stared at Meredith with a confused look; "You're hearing about bombs a lot? Where have you been hanging out lately?" he asked.

"I've been around" Meredith replied mischievously.

April ignored her friends banter and wordlessly stood up from her chair.

"Where you going?" Alex asked with a frown.

"I need to find Jackson" April replied.

"I don't think that's a good idea Apes, he's into one of his moods. I have a feeling that if you confront him right now it wouldn't be pretty" Meredith warned.

"It will never be pretty, the worst thing he can do is shout and I can handle that." April said dejectedly.

Alex's face softened; "Look, I'll find McPretty for you and send him to your room. You can't walk around the hospital wearing your pyjamas and you shouldn't be up your feet too long, you're still healing in case you have forgotten."

April moved her eyes towards her clothes and cringed.

Meredith winked; "Your pyjama is cute if that's any consolation."

April laughed.

Alex smiled; "Scoot Kepner, go back to your room. I promise to bring McPretty for you, even if I have to drag him by his ear" he said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Avery?"

Jackson moved his eyes towards the stairs; "Hey..." he mumbled.

Derek climbed up the stairs and stood at the landing; he then stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket and stared at the young attending. "You alright?"

Jackson lowered his eyes to the floor and nodded; "Yeah"

"Tough day?"

Jackson sighed; "Tough day."

Derek walked towards Jackson and gestured to the space beside him; "May I?" he asked.

Jackson lifted his gaze and nodded.

Derek sat down on the step and stared ahead.

Jackson moved his head sideways and eyed the Neurosurgeon beside him; "Why'd you take the stairs?"

Derek met his gaze; "The damn elevator is running slow again, it's annoying me."

Jackson chuckled; "We should have that fixed, it's inconveniencing us all" he said.

Derek nodded in agreement; "We should. How about you? What are you doing here?"

Jackson pursed his lips before turning his head away; "I just wanted some space to clear my mind I guess..."

"Hunt running you ragged?"

Jackson shook his head; "Nah, just personal stuff" he replied.

"Girl problems then?" Derek asked.

Jackson didn't respond.

Derek leaned back and braised his elbows on the step behind him; "I'm not as good as Mark but I definitely know a thing or two."

Jackson leaned forward and rested his arms on top of his knees; "How did you know?" he blurted out.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you know that Mer was the _one_? How did you know that's she's worth the risk?"

"I didn't."

Jackson's head snapped sideways, surprise clearly evident in his face.

Derek smiled at his best friend's star pupil; "It's pretty simple, if you love someone they're always worth the risk regardless if they're the one or not."

"Is love enough? I mean, it makes you do stupid things, it drives you crazy and more often than not it hurts like a bitch" Jackson said.

"Is it unrequited?"

Jackson furrowed his brows; "No but it's complicated."

Derek leaned forward and braised his arms on top of his knees; "Let me tell you a story, Meredith and I, we started complicated. I was going through a rough marriage and she was a struggling intern who's trying to prove that she's more than just her mother's name. I never thought we'd work out because that woman, regardless of how much I love her is insane. She's indecisive, impulsive, extremely complicated and she's everything I never thought I'd want in my life. When she told me that she loves me and asked me to pick her over my ex wife, I walked away because I didn't think she knows what she wants. I didn't think that she was ready for the long haul but then a month after that, she almost died" he paused. He then turned his head sideways and met the other surgeon's eyes; "Death has a way of putting the most important thing in your life into perspective, you see. When I saw Meredith almost died right in front of eyes it made me realize how stupid I was to think that I could simply walk away and go on with my life."

"Isn't walking away much easier though? I mean, it makes more sense."

Derek smiled; "It is but some people are just worth everything."

Jackson stared at Derek before averting his gaze, opting to stare ahead.

"Love is never logical Avery, most often than not we fall in love with someone we never thought we'd want to be with, oftentimes that person is not always what we expected." Derek paused and chuckled; "Meredith was not what I have in mind when I thought about marriage again, she's pretty much the most illogical choice. I mean, if I want her to be my wife then that means I'd be getting the twisted sister too by default simply because their like Walmart BOGO. But I learned not to mind and I embraced it because I knew what I was signing for when I wrote that post it and I meant every word."

Jackson chuckled; "I remember hearing about that infamous post it."

Derek laughed; "It's a popular post it. When Mark learned about it he couldn't stop mocking me."

Jackson smiled and shook his head.

Derek then patted the young surgeon's back and stood up; "She may not be what you expected her to be but knowing that she will love you with everything she has will be enough, believe me, it always is" he said before walking away.

Jackson watches as Derek ascended the stairs; leaving him with words to ponder.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Arizona entered the pit looking confused; she spotted her wife lacing her Trauma gown so she trotted towards her. "Hey I just got paged 911, do you know what's going on?"

"Car crash in Pikes, a kid was involved that's why they paged you, Karev is already waiting near the door." Callie replied before handing her a gown.

Arizona accepted the gown and began shoving her arms into it.

Callie made a face; "I hate it when kids are involved, it reminds me of Sophia" she said.

Arizona shuddered; "I don't even want to think about it."

Callie nodded.

The E.R doors burst open as Alex came rushing through; "Get out of the way people!" he yelled as he pushes the gurney.

Arizona hastily laced her gown and turned towards her wife; "I better go check on Alex, I'll see you later" she said before following the disgruntled Ped's Attending.

"Go" Callie said before running towards the E.R door.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"How's your day?" Derek asked as he walks towards his wife.

Meredith smiled tiredly and patted the space beside her; "I'm tired, just got off of surgery. How about you?"

Derek planted a kiss on his wife's lips as he sat down beside her; "It's a lazy day for me, my surgery got pushed into a later time because my patient insisted on waiting for her husband" he replied.

Meredith snuggled closer and buried her face into his neck; "Did you check on the kids?" she asked.

Derek wrapped his arms around her and let out a contended sigh; "Yep, Zola is enjoying her tea time with Sophia and little Bailey is napping like a champ" he replied.

Meredith chuckled; "Did you join their tea party?" she asked.

Derek laughed; "I would've, if I got there early."

Meredith pulled her face away and tilted her head; "What held you up?" she asked.

Derek angled his face and met Meredith's eyes; "Avery"

Meredith pulled away and made a face; "Is he still throwing a bitch fit?"

"I'm not quite sure if it qualifies for a bitch fit because he's pretty much catatonic when I found him in the fire exit" Derek replied.

"He's catatonic in the fire exit?"

Derek nodded; "I found him sitting on the stairs and looking at the wall."

Meredith rolled her eyes; "I can't believe he's still sulking! I already told him to pull his crap together and just say what he wants to say, it's not like she'll reject him, he's too stubborn for his own good!" she huffed.

Derek's eyes widen in surprise; "So you know his girl problems?"

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest and nodded; "He didn't mean to tell me, it just slipped" she replied. She then narrowed her eyes and turned towards her husband; "How did you know that its girl problems, did he tell you anything?" she asked.

"Not really, I just deduced it from how he's acting." He then made a face and met his wife's eyes; "But he did ask me how I knew that you were the one."

Meredith's eyes widen; "Really?" she asked somewhat giddy.

Derek nodded; "He did but I feel that he has bigger issues, he's so cynical about love. What do you know?" he asked curiously.

Meredith pursed her lips and thought about for a moment; "Off the record?"

"Off the record" Derek affirmed.

"He's in love with April"

"Kepner? Our April Kepner?" Derek asked with disbelief.

Meredith nodded before smiling; "And she's in love with him too"

"Wow"

Meredith chuckled; "I know."

Derek frowned; "That explains his predicament, she's getting married."

Meredith shook her head deliberately; "Nope she's not."

"What do you mean? We watched the flash mob dancers and she said yes."

"April broke up with Matthew after Jackson had the accident." Meredith simply said.

"Oh."

Meredith leaned back on the couch and sighed; "April confessed her feelings but Jackson said nothing that's why everything is messed up" she explained.

Derek look confused; "But you just told me that he's in love with her?"

"He is but he's too stubborn to admit it. He's holding a grudge because he felt that April rejected him the first time he proposed"

"Whoa! Hold on a minute there, Avery proposed?"

Meredith smiled upon remembering the Plastic Attending's outburst; "He did, he offered fields with wild flowers and butterflies when he thought she was pregnant."

"Wait, their doing it?" Derek asked, clearly gobsmacked.

Meredith ignored her husband's reaction and continued; "April found out that she's not hence her reacting like her old neurotic self and Jackson took it as a sign that she didn't want to go through with it, so he called it quits and bailed."

Derek paused and stared at his wife with amazement; he then shook his head and smiled. "How come I didn't know all of this and you know?"

Meredith met his gaze and raised her brow; "Apparently being married and having kids' makes you mature. And it doesn't hurt that I married my McDreamy so they all think that we're riding off to the sunset basking in our ever after."

Derek laughed; "Are we riding a big white stallion named Rainbow Bright?" he teased.

Meredith laughed; "No, its McPony, our horse is called McPony" she corrected.

Derek laughed louder.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"What do we have here?" Callie asked as she rushes towards the incoming gurney.

"Patient is Chris Roberts, 34 years old. B.P is 130/80, deep lacerations on his chest, broken ribs and left arm is broken. Possible TBI due to the skull fracture and severe burn on his face and legs."

"Page Avery, Shepherd and Yang! Let's move this patient to Trauma Room 1 now!" Callie yelled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was just about to enter the E.R. when he saw Cristina walking briskly towards him; he pushed the door open and waited for her to catch up; "You got paged too?"

Cristina threw him a thankful smile and entered the E.R.; "You with Trauma Room 1 too?" she asked while walking towards the room.

"Yep" Jackson replied.

Cristina pushed the door open and stepped inside; "What do we have?" she asked while gloving up.

"Car crash victim, he has deep laceration on his chest, few broken ribs that punctured his left lung, I'm still waiting for the scan results to check if the ribs also damaged his heart." Callie said. She then turned towards the Plastic Attending; "2nd degree burns on his face and arms, I'm not sure if his left ear is ripped off" she said with grimace.

Jackson slipped his hands into latex gloves and walked towards the patient; he leaned forward and began examining the patient's face and ear. "Ear is partially intact, I'll have to attach it so it doesn't fall off and I can pretty much fix his burns at a later time."

"Hey, I just got your page. Do you already have the CT and MRI results yet?" Derek asked as he entered the room.

"Brooks! Show Dr. Shepherd the results!" Callie barked.

Heather scampered towards the Neurosurgeon, dragging the screen and scans with her.

Derek began examining it; "I don't see any brain swelling but I can definitely see a clot near the hippocampus, I need to get in there before it causes problems" he said.

Ross barged into the room panting; "I already have the scans!" he announced.

Cristina walked towards the male intern and snatched the films from his shaking hands; she studied it and frowned. "We need to book an O.R now, his broken rib just narrowly missed his left aorta but it can still bleed and cause hemorrhages."

"Ross! Book O.R. 3 now. Make sure they prep it for both Neuro and Cardio" Callie said.

"I'm on it!" Ross said before leaving the room in a rush.

Jackson took off his gloves and eyed his peers; "Page me after you guys are done so I can work on him" he said before turning on his heels.

"Will do. Come on guys let's move him!" Callie said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Damn it!" Alex cursed.

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Alex braised his hands on the O.R table and bowed his head; "Damn it!"

Arizona swallowed hard and cleared the lump in her throat; "Call it Dr. Karev" she said.

Alex just shook his head.

Arizona opened her eyes and stared at the Ped's Attending; "There was _nothing_ that we could've done differently that would have saved her life Alex so I'm asking you to call it" she ordered.

Alex's head snapped up; he then turned his gaze towards the wall clock and gritted his teeth; "Time of death 18:42" he said before ripping off his surgical gown and sauntering out of the O.R room.

Arizona watched her Attending leave before turning her sad eyes towards the little girl's lifeless body; "Let's close her up" she said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson just stepped out of the elevator when he saw Alex slumped on the floor; he stuffed his hands inside his lab coat's pocket and walked towards him. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

Alex clenched his fists and leaned his head on the wall; "I just lost a patient, a kid, she's too young to die" he said.

"Car crash kid?"

"Yeah" Alex grunted.

Jackson puffed out air; "Dad is on his way to surgery but he's stable."

Alex nodded and began standing up; he then pulled off his cap and let out a deep sigh. "I still need to tell the kid's Mom."

Jackson nodded; "Okay."

Alex moved towards his right but paused; "I promised Kepner that I would haul your ass over to her room even if I have to drag you by the ear" he said before sighing tiredly. "She wants to talk to you badly that she'd risk blinding everyone in this hospital walking around in her pyjamas, it would be a huge favor for me if you would just go there man. I'm too worn out to listen to her neurotic chants and I don't think I would be too nice either, so please just go there already" he said before walking towards the elevator.

Jackson watched the elevator's door closes before he cussed loudly.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith was strolling along the hallway looking for her husband and best friend; she was about to turn to the corner when she heard her name being called.

"Pst! Grey!"

Meredith turned around and saw no one; she furrowed her brows and began scanning her surroundings.

"Grey! Over here! Supply closet!"

Meredith turned to her left and saw Jackson peeking behind the door; she braises her hands on her hips and raised her brow. "What in the world are you doing there?"

Jackson opened the door wider and gestured for the other surgeon to come closer; "I need to ask you something" he said.

Meredith obediently walked towards the closet and stood right in front him; "What?" she asked.

Jackson yanked her inside the room and closed the door behind them.

"Hey!"

Jackson threw her a look before he started pacing; "I-I can't do it! I can't go there!" he said agitatedly.

Meredith leaned back on the door and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "What the hell are you saying? Are you having one of your melt downs?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head; "No—no this not one of those" he said distractedly.

"Good! Because I don't have April's patience, so, out with it! What do you want?"

"I just spoke with Karev and he practically ordered me to march inside April's room and talk to her! I can't talk to her! I refuse to talk to her! I'm not yet ready to talk to her! I still have a patient that I need to tend to for goodness sake! And I I'll only end up screaming at her! I can't do it, please don't make me go there!"

Meredith scrunched her face; "Are you sure this is not one of your major melt downs? You're acting quite like it" she observed.

Jackson paused and shook his head; "Nope, definitely not. I just tend to scream and throw things and not much of a talker when I'm _that _pissed."

Meredith cringed; "I definitely don't want to see that. So, what do you want me to do?"

Jackson took a deep calming breath and braises his hands on his hips; "Can you talk to her? I mean, can you tell her that I can't drop by tonight because I still have surgery?" he asked hopefully.

Meredith eyed him for a moment; "What's in it for me?" she asked.

"Name it and it's yours" Jackson replied automatically.

Meredith's eyes widen in surprise; "Wow! You are desperate."

Jackson licked his lips nervously; "I am, so please?" he asked.

Meredith stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets and nodded; "Okay."

Jackson let out a sigh of relief; "Thank you! You're my savior!" he said happily.

Meredith smirked; "I'm not cashing out the favor yet but you owe me one."

Jackson nodded; "You got it."

Meredith offered her hand; "Let's shake on it pretty boy."

Jackson rolled his eyes before clasping their hands together, shaking it.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hey Apes!" Meredith greeted cheerily.

April tore her eyes away from her book and smiled; "Hey!"

Meredith stepped inside the room and left the door open behind her; "What are you reading?" she gestured towards the book.

April dog-eared her novel and lifted it, so her friend can see; "Love Rosie by Cecilia Ahern" she replied.

Meredith nodded; "I haven't read that, I'm not into long novels I'm afraid. What is it about?" she asked.

April placed the book on top of her lap and let out a shy smile; "Err-you don't want to know."

Meredith walked towards the bed and sat on top of it; she then leaned forward and snatched the book from the other surgeon's lap.

"Hey!" April yelped; she then leaned forward and began tugging the book from Meredith.

Meredith raised the book on top of her head and began swatting April's prying hands; "Stop it or I won't discharge you tomorrow!" she threatened.

April's eyes widen; "You wouldn't dare!" she said, clearly aghast.

"Try me."

April narrowed her eyes and huffed; she then leaned back on her pillows and crossed her arms on top of her chest.

Meredith lowered her hands and opened the book; she flipped the first page and began reading the synopsis. After a couple of lines she snapped it closed and stared at April; "Seriously? Please tell me you're not reading this book because it reminds you of you and Jackson?" she asked.

April leaned forward and fished the book out of Meredith's hand; "Of course not!"

Meredith raised her brow; "Really?"

April averted Meredith's gaze and turned to her side; she hastily pulled the drawer open and shoved the book inside. "Really."

"Fine. But I'll only believe you because you want me too."

April turned towards Meredith; "Thank you. So, what brings you here?" she asked.

Meredith cringed; "Actually I came here with a purpose."

"Spill" April said with a smile.

"Jackson sent me."

April's smile faltered; she then eyed the other surgeon for a couple of seconds before sighing in defeat. "Let me guess, he doesn't want to talk to me?"

Meredith shook her head; "It's not that, he's actually into surgery. I ran into him a couple of minutes ago and he asked me to tell you that he won't be able to talk tonight." she explained.

April smiled sadly at her friend; "You don't have to cover up for him, I expected it anyway."

"But he really is—"

April shook her head dejectedly; "It's okay. I knew it wouldn't be easy. I guess I'll just have to give him time."

Meredith pursed her lips as she leans back on the footboard; "He's really into surgery Apes, I'm not lying. However, I think you're right, you should give him time to cool down and once he's done being a baby then you guys can talk it out."

April nodded in agreement; "Yeah."

Meredith smiled; "Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about something else" she offered.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I'll be discharging you tomorrow, you can finally watch those chick flicks you rented."

April giggled; "Oh god, don't remind me" she said.

"That bad?"

April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing; "I rented _The Notebook, If only, A walk to remember _and _Sweet November_. Now tell me if it's conducive to watch after an operation."

Meredith laughed; "Oh god, you really are planning on bawling your eyes out!"

April nodded with a big smile; "I also bought my friend _Jack Daniel_ so he can accompany me with my journey, I think he's still waiting on my sofa."

"Well you better tell _Jack _sorry because he won't be messing with you till next month."

April scoffed; "I know when to mess with _Jack_, I'm still a doctor, I know this stuff. I also know I can't screw him tomorrow because I still need to wait till this stupid hole in my stomach heals."

"I thought you were still hung up on boinking Avery? Why the hell are you thinking about screwing this Jack fellow? You haven't even left this damn hospital yet."

April's head snapped towards the door.

Meredith turned towards Alex and saw him leaning against the door frame; an idea popped into her mind so she slyly turned towards April again and threw her conniving look. "Who told you she's still hung up on Avery? She's moved on and she can do whatever she wants, in fact she can screw _Jack _after two weeks. No need to wait for a month Apes, I stand corrected."

April closed her mouth and turned her face towards Meredith; "Really? You can't take that back now Mer because I'm so ready, especially after all these stress" she replied with a big ecstatic smile, completely missing the general surgeon's sexual innuendo.

"What the hell Mer?" Alex asked, clearly appalled with his friend's suggestion and it didn't help that April seems to think that it's fine.

Meredith turned to Alex and raised her brow; "Well April can screw whoever she wants, she's a grown woman and she's entitled to have some fun" she said.

Alex made a face; "Damn it! I really have to kick Avery's ass now for not showing up. I told him clearly to come by Kepner's room to shed some light into her deteriorating mind but of course he bailed!"

"My mind is not deteriorating!" April yelped.

"Whatever! I need to get out of here before I lose my own mind!" Alex huffed. He turned on his heel and began walking away; after a couple of seconds he stopped and retraced his steps. "By the way, you can't have sex with that Jack fellow yet! You screw him tomorrow and you'll end up in the E.R. without experiencing orgasm, so, give it two weeks! Geez you're a doctor Kepner think like one!" he said exasperatedly before leaving.

April's eyes widen in mortification; "Did he just-? Did he think—? Oh god, he thought-" she stuttered.

Meredith burst out laughing.

April felt her face flush in embarrassment so she hastily grabbed her pillow and began hitting Meredith with it. "It's not funny! He thought _Jack Daniel_ was an actual guy I was screwing! It's alcohol for goodness sake!" she shrilled.

Meredith deflected the pillow and hastily snatched it away from her mortified friend; she then hopped off the bed still laughing. "Come on Apes, live a little!"

April shook her head; "No. No. No! Oh god! That was-that was evil Meredith Grey!"

Meredith hugged the pillow to her chest and stifled her laughter; "It wasn't! It was just Alex! At least we got rid of him."

April narrowed her eyes at her friend; "It's Alex! He's one of the biggest gossips in this hospital! It's already bad enough that people knew that I was pining over Jackson and went bat shit crazy when the bus almost blew him up!" she paused. Her eyes widen in horror; "Oh god! People are going to know that I'm planning on screwing someone even before I got discharged! Oh god!" she panicked.

Meredith shook her head; "You're thinking too much again Apes, I mean how bad can it get? Alex won't definitely tell anyone outside our circle—" she then paused. "Oh shit!"

"What?"

Meredith threw the pillow back at April and began walking towards the door.

April frowned; "Where the hell are you going? You can't just leave me here after what you did!" she yelled.

Meredith waived her hand dismissively; "Can't stay, need to find Alex! Talk to you tomorrow! Good night!" she said before exiting the room hurriedly.

April watched the other surgeon scamper out of her room.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith barged inside the Attendings' Lounge with a bang; she scanned the room and felt her heart drop to her stomach when she didn't see the Ped's Attending.

"What's wrong with you Grey?" Callie asked.

"Have you seen Alex? I need to talk to him" Meredith said urgently.

Callie raised her brow; "He just left 10 minutes ago, told me he's going home to sleep" she replied.

"Crap!" Meredith cussed.

"Is something wrong?" Callie asked.

Meredith puffed out a breath and stuffed her hands inside lab coat pockets; she then walked towards the table and pulled out a chair. "I might've said something that he might misconstrue."

"He had a rough day Grey, no matter what you say to him, he will misconstrue."

Meredith sat on the chair and sighed; "I'm hoping that it's not this one."

Callie stared at the other surgeon and shrugged her shoulders; "Just talk to him tomorrow."

Meredith nodded glumly; "I guess I don't have any other choice" she said.

Callie shrugged her jacket on and plucked her bag from the coffee table; "Well, I better get going now. I still need to pick up Sophia from day care. I'll see you tomorrow" she said before walking towards the door.

Meredith nodded; "Okay, good night!" she replied. She then furrowed her brows and turned towards the door; "Do you happen to know if Jackson's surgery is finish?" she asked.

Callie pulled the door open before answering; "Last time I checked he's still fixing the ear and it was an hour ago. I'm pretty sure he's not done yet because the patient has massive burn injuries."

"I see, thanks Callie. See you tomorrow."

Callie waived her hand as she steps out of the room.

Meredith watched the door close before groaning; "Stupid joke" she said to herself.

* * *

oOo

**"_She could've gotten angry and made me feel like a guilty child_**

**_but I realize that never was her style. I wanted her to hurt me and not treat me_**

**_like a friend, I wanted her to say that there'd be someday, I'll come crawling to my_**

**_knees to ask her back again but she acted like a lady till the end."_**

oOo

* * *

**April's Discharge Day:**

"Good Morning Dr. Kepner" The nurse greeted the doctor-patient politely.

April smiled brightly; "Good Morning Amber, are you here to take this awful IV lines off me?" she asked.

Amber smiled as she walked towards the bed; "As a matter of fact I am."

"I would've taken it off myself to save you time but I'm quite sure I'll never hear the end of it" April teased.

"You bet" Amber quipped.

April dangled her legs at the side of the bed to give the nurse easier access; she then grabbed her pillow and placed her hand on top of it. "Have at it" she said.

Amber placed her supplies at the bed side and began working on the lines; "I haven't seen Dr. Grey yet but I'm quite sure she'll be here soon to discharge you."

April nodded; "I can't wait to get out of here. I love this hospital don't get me wrong but I prefer working here rather than staying here as a patient."

Amber chuckled; "I hear you" she replied as she carefully pulls out the needle from the surgeon's back hand. She then pressed a clean cotton ball on it and secured it with a surgical tape; "There you go."

April began clenching and unclenching her hands; "That feels good, I wanted to do that since Tuesday."

Amber gathered her supplies and smiled at her; "Well, I'll leave you to it. Take care Dr. Kepner and I hope to see you wearing your lab coat rather than the ghastly patient gown" she said.

April laughed; "Thank you for taking good care of me Amber, I'll see you soon!" she said cheerily.

Amber nodded before turning around and leaving her room.

oOo

Alex stepped inside the Attendings' Lounge with a yawn; he sleepily walked towards the couch and plopped down almost instantly.

"Why are you so sleepy?" Cristina asked before biting her apple.

Alex yawned again and began rubbing his eyes; "Overslept."

"Sleeping away your broken heart?" Cristina teased.

"Go to hell!" Alex hissed.

Cristina chuckled; she then moved towards the couch and sat beside her friend. "Have you seen Mer? I've been looking for her but I can't seem to find her."

Alex leaned his head back and closed his eyes; "Maybe she's in Kepner's room, she's discharging her today."

Cristina bit into her apple again and nodded; "Oh yeah, I forgot."

Alex opened his eyes and turned his head sideways; "You owe me 50 bucks, pay up."

"Why?"

Alex smirked; "Kepner's being discharged today and Mcpretty hasn't grown balls yet, so I win your 50 bucks."

Cristina rolled her eyes; "The day is not over yet evil spawn, I still have until 12 midnight."

Alex scoffed; he then stood up and stretched his arms upwards. "Whatever. I'm pretty sure I'll win this because looks like Mer forgot about our bet, it must be the anesthesia."

"What'd you mean?"

Alex turned his head towards the other surgeon and braised his hands on his hips; "I walked in on them talking about a guy that Kepner wants to jump as soon as she get discharged from this hospital and Mer is encouraging her, hell, I think she's even giving her pointers!"

Cristina narrowed her eyes; "Are you sure about what you heard? It's Kepner we're talking about right? You're not psyching me out or anything?"

Alex made a face; "I'm 100% sure, it disturbed me too, you know. Apparently, Kepner left this dude named Jack hanging on her couch when she had to rush here."

"Get outta here!"

"I'm not kidding. Go ask Mer once you see her and I'm pretty sure she'll tell you the details" Alex said.

Cristina shot up from her perch and smiled widely; "I'll do just that" she said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was just slipping on her flats when her door opened; she lifted her eyes from the floor and smiled. "Hey Cristina!"

Cristina stepped inside the room, leaving the door ajar; "Hey Apes, ready to go home?" she asked.

"Yep" April chirped.

Cristina stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "Did Mer sign you discharge papers?"

April shook her head as she sat on her bed; "Nope, I haven't seen her yet."

"I think she's running late today, I haven't seen her yet."

"Maybe"

"Are you excited to go? _Anyone_ in particular waiting for you at home?"

April raised her brow; "I am excited but you are aware that my family is in Moline and I'm alone in my apartment, right?"

Cristina smiled like a Cheshire Cat; "Uhuh..."

April studied the Cardio Surgeon's face and almost instantly it hit her; "No. No. No!" she said in horror.

Cristina nodded; "Yes. Yes. Yes."

April's face instantly flushes into beet red as she let herself fall back first on her bed; "I'm going to murder Meredith Grey!" she groaned.

Cristina walked towards the bed and plopped down; "Come on Apes, spill. Who's this guy named Jack?" she asked curiously.

April closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands; "Argh!"

Cristina laughed.

April took a deep calming breath and pulled her hand away; she then turned her head sideways and glared at her friend. "It's Alex right? He told you? Who else did he tell?" she asked.

Cristina instantly stopped laughing as her eyes widen in shock; "So it's true! You're planning on screwing this Jack fellow as soon as you leave this place! Alex was telling the truth!" she said.

April narrowed her eyes before sitting up; "I. AM. NOT. SCREWING. JACK. AS. SOON. AS. I'M. DISCHARGED" she replied, enunciating every word.

"Well, technically you can't because you have to wait at least two weeks to have your incision healed before you start having sex again." Cristina said astutely.

"I'M NOT HAVING SEX WITH JACK BECAUSE JACK IS NOT EVEN A PERSON! JACK IS JACK DANIEL's FOR GOODNESS SAKE! IT'S A FREAKING WHISKEY!" April shrilled before closing her eyes and taking a deep calming breath.

Cristina narrowed her eyes at the other surgeon suspiciously; "But Alex told me that Jack is hanging out on your couch, waiting for you?"

"It is! I left it there because I had to go here. I planned on binging on alcohol while watching those flicks I rented" April clarified.

"Oh."

April opened her eyes and turned towards Cristina; "Who else did Alex tell? Should I expect the whole hospital knowing?" she asked exasperatedly.

Cristina cleared her throat and sat straighter; "Err—I don't think so because he just arrived and looks like I'm the first person he saw."

April stood up from the bed and fixed her shirt; "Where is he? I need to straighten it out before it turns into a nasty rumour."

Cristina hopped off of the bed; "Nope, you stay here and wait for Mer, you don't want to miss her. I'll go find the evil spawn" she said.

April braised her hands on her hips; "Are you sure?" she asked.

Cristina nodded; "I know where to find him, just stay here" she said before trotting out of the room.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was tying his scrub pants when the door to the Lounge opened; he quickly snatched his lab coat from his locker and snapped it close.

Jackson rounded the corner and began walking distractedly towards the Ped's Attending direction.

Alex slipped his coat on and slung his stethoscope around his neck; "Hey man" he drawled.

"Oh hey, you're early."

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest; "How's your night?" he asked.

Jackson stood right in front of his own locker and pulled it open; he deposited his bag inside and began tugging off his jacket. "It was alright, it was a long reconstruction"

"Did you—"

"Alex you blabbering idiot where are you? I don't owe you 50 bucks yet because Kepner is not having sex with Jack!"

Jackson froze.

Alex's eyes widen as he quickly turned towards the voice.

Cristina rounded the corner with a huge smile on her face; she didn't seem to notice Jackson standing behind his locker's door so she continued with her speech. "I haven't lost yet so you won't get a single dime from me!"

Alex opened his mouth to tell Cristina that the Plastics Attending is with them but he was not able to do so when the other surgeon spoke.

"Who is Jack?"

Cristina's eyes widen in shock; she took another step and saw Jackson staring at her blankly. She tried to open her mouth to explain but no words came out of her mouth.

Jackson turned his eyes towards the other surgeon in the room; "What is she talking about?" he asked.

Alex studied Jackson's face and swallowed hard; he was about to respond but Jackson already turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.

Cristina cringed and turned her gaze towards Alex; "Do you think he's going where I think he's going?" she asked.

Alex groaned as he rubbed his face with his palms; "We just set off the bomb and it's about to explode."

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was reading her book peacefully when her door was slammed opened; she tore her eyes away from it and was surprised to see her best friend standing inside her room. "Jackson?"

Jackson slammed the door shut and stared at her directly; "Who the hell is Jack? Are you screwing him?" he asked darkly.

April's eyes widen in shock; she hastily snapped her book close and placed it on her bed side. "What are you talking about?"

Jackson glared at her and began pacing angrily; "What the hell are you thinking? Didn't you understand what I said to you? I specifically told you that we still need to talk about us and you're already planning on ditching me for another man! You haven't even heard my side yet!" he hissed.

April opened her mouth to respond but the seething surgeon cut her off.

"And Mass Gen? You're planning on jumping to their boat without even telling me? I had to hear it from Yang for fuck's sake! Yang!"

April felt her anger explode and before she knows it she's standing right in front of Jackson; "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she yelled.

Jackson halted in his pace and met April's livid eyes.

Tears pool in April's eyes as she clenches her fists tightly; "How dare you? How dare you barge into my room screaming at me when you're the one who refuses to talk in the first place! How could you accuse me of sleeping around when you're the one who slept with an intern not even a week after you dumped me?" she spat as tears trek down her cheeks.

Jackson opened his mouth to speak but April cut him off.

"I TOLD YOU I WANTED YOU BUT YOU SAID NOTHING! I STOOD THERE LIKE AN IDIOT AND WAITED FOR YOU TO SAY SOMETHING BUT YOU JUST STARED AT ME LIKE YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!" April yelled. "YOU'RE THROWING A FIT BECAUSE I DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT MASS GEN, THAT YOU HAD TO HEAR IT FROM CRISTINA? YOU'RE NOT EVEN GONNA ASK ME WHY I'M EVEN CONSIDERING IT? YOU'RE NOT EVEN A TAD CURIOUS WHY I'M LEAVING THIS HOSPITAL THAT TREATS ME LIKE FAMILY? WELL LET ME TELL YOU SINCE WE'RE ALREADY ON IT, I'M LEAVING THIS DAMN PLACE BECAUSE OF YOU. I'M LEAVING BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I CAN STAND WORKING WITH YOU, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING SWITCH THAT I CAN EASILY FLICK THAT WILL MAKE ME REVERT TO BEING YOUR ASEXUAL BEST FRIEND AND WATCH YOU RIDE OFF TO THE SUNSET WITH FREAKING EDWARDS!"

Jackson eyes widen in shock, clearly stunned with his best friend's honesty and cussing.

April wiped her cheeks wearily before taking a deep calming breath; "You told me you want your old best friend back so I'm giving you what you want. I'm choosing to leave because I need to be away from you so I can condition myself to be what you need me to be" she admitted. "I know you're thinking that I'm abandoning our friendship but I'm not...You'll always be my best friend Jackson and I'll always be your person but in order for me to move pass this hurt and go through with our friendship, I need time."

Jackson licked his lips and cleared his throat; "Stephanie and I are-"

"You don't have to explain your relationship with Edwards to me Jackson, it's crystal clear" April said. She then forced out a little smile and sniffed; "You mentioned something about Jack awhile ago and I wanted to clear that up. I'm not sleeping around and definitely not with Jack because he's not a person, its Jack Daniel's, the whiskey. Meredith and I were talking about alcohol when Alex overheard us and Mer thought it was funny to screw with Alex's head."

Jackson instantly felt relief upon hearing April's words but he mentally cursed himself for his stupidity.

April took a step back and sat down on her bed; "Now that everything's cleared up I think you should leave. I'm tired and I want to rest before Mer arrives."

Jackson stuffed his hands inside his pocket nervously and tried his best to meet April's eyes; "I'm-I'm sorry I screamed at you and accused you of those things. I was just so pissed and hurt that I didn't even think before I opened my mouth."

April smiled wryly; "I already expected the explosion."

Jackson averted his gaze and stared at his shoes, clearly embarrassed about his initial outburst; "I—there are things that you said that I need to clarify. I—I still haven't told you why I was not able to answer that night and I want a chance to explain myself and fix this..." he pleaded as he revert his gaze back to April.

April bit her bottom lip as she studies her best friend's anxious face.

"Please tell me you'll give me another chance to talk..."

April sighed; "Fine. We'll talk about this again but only after my boards" she said.

Jackson sighed in relief; "I'm fine with it, whatever you want I'm fine with it" he replied.

April nodded; "Since that's settled, can you please leave now? I want to rest" she said.

"O-of course, I have work too..."

"Okay. Bye" April said before leaning back on her pillows and closing her eyes.

Jackson retraced his steps and pulled the door open; he threw April one last look before stepping out, closing the door behind him.

April opened her eyes after hearing her door closing; she then let out a bone weary sigh and closed her eyes again.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith pushed the door open to their Lounge and quickly stepped inside; she trotted towards the lockers but halted her steps when she saw her two old friends sitting on the bench quietly. "What are you two doing here? Don't you have rounds?"

Alex's head snapped towards the general surgeon's direction and scowled; "You should've corrected me last night when I thought that _Jack _was a real dude."

Meredith furrowed her brows; "I was about to but then you disappeared on me even before I had the chance to."

Alex stood up from his perch and shook his head; "It's not cool Mer."

Meredith turned her gaze towards Cristina; "What did you guys do?" she asked.

"Err-"

Meredith dropped her bag on the floor and narrowed her eyes; "Cristina!"

Cristina cringed; "Look-we didn't mean it. Alex and I were talking earlier and he mentioned something about a Jack fellow that April can't wait to see so I went to her room to tease her."

"And?" Meredith asked.

"And then Yang found out that Jack is actually a drink and told me" Alex replied.

Meredith moved her eyes towards Alex; "Did you tell anyone else aside from Cristina?"

Alex threw Meredith an indignant look; "Of course not! I don't spread rumours!"

Meredith let out a sigh of relief; "Good. I was worried, April will definitely murder me if it gets around the hospital" she replied. She grabbed her bag from the floor and began walking towards her own locker.

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest and glared at Cristina; urging the Cardio surgeon to tell their friend the whole story.

Cristina shook her head.

Alex narrowed his eyes at the Cardio surgeon and turned towards Meredith; "I didn't tell anyone but Yang here might've" he said.

Meredith paused; she then turned her face towards Cristina with a surprised look on her face.

Cristina threw Alex a dark look before meeting Meredith's eyes; "I didn't mean to tell anyone. I thought it's just me and evil spawn because it's still early and I haven't seen anyone yet. So when I came here I pretty much announced to the whole room that April is not having sex with Jack" she explained.

"Oh god! Who heard you?" Meredith asked.

Cristina cringed; "Err-Avery..."

Meredith swore colourfully.

Alex winced; "We didn't mean to tell him, Yang clearly didn't see him standing behind his locker so she's not at fault too. I tried to explain but he left even before I got the chance to open my mouth" he explained.

Cristina nodded in agreement; "He left even before we got the chance to clarify things and we think he went to Kepner's room..."

Meredith eyed her friends before letting out a defeated sigh; she then moved towards the bench and sat herself down. "April's gonna kill me."

Alex sighed and shifted towards the bench; he sat down beside Meredith and turned his head sideways. "The talk that those two should have is long overdue, we pretty much sped it up a bit. Look at the brighter side, at least we're able to haul Avery's ass to Kepner's room"

Meredith turned her head to meet the Ped's Attending eyes; "Do you think there would be shouting?" she asked.

Cristina snorted; "Avery is whiny and the way he looked at Alex and I, I'm sure as hell there would be shouting."

Alex snickered.

Meredith groaned.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Stephanie was just coming out of the intern's locker room when she spotted her beau walking along the hallway; she wanted to turn around and just pretend that she didn't see him but she can't. She knows that the end is near and she already had ample time to condition herself in the last couple of days so she might as well confront him now and get it over with, she'd rather break up with him rather than the other way around anyway. So, having that in mind she squared her shoulders and raised her chin as she saunters towards his direction.

Jackson's eyes were glued to the floor as he walks aimlessly along the hallway; he was still reeling from April's words so he didn't seem to recognize the person who's walking towards him. When he was about to hit her, he side stepped and continued on his way; not noticing that it was Stephanie.

Stephanie gritted her teeth when Jackson passed her by like she was invisible; she quickly turned around and pulled his arm forcefully. "Jackson!"

Jackson was yanked out of his stupor when he felt his arm being pulled; he furrowed his brows and turned his head to see who the culprit is.

"We need to talk" Stephanie said stiffly.

Jackson's face relaxed when he recognized who's standing before him; "Hey, I didn't see you there," he said.

Stephanie pulled her hand away and cleared her throat; "We need to talk. Do you have time?" she asked.

Jackson slipped his hands inside his pockets and nodded; "Yeah I have a couple of minutes before my shift starts. So what's up?" he asked.

Stephanie took a deep breath before biting the bullet; "Do you love me?" she asked bluntly.

Jackson's eyes widen in shock; clearly he didn't see this one coming. "_First April and now this! Is it pick-a-fight-with-Jackson day today?" _he thought to himself. After a moment, he opened his mouth to speak but no words seem to escape his lips.

Stephanie fought her impulse to hit him and just raised her chin defiantly; "It's not rocket science Jackson, it's either yes or no. So, do you love me?" she asked.

Jackson averted his gaze and lowered his eyes to the floor; he took a deep breath before meeting the intern's eyes again. "I'm sorry...I—I tried but-" he was not able to finish his sentence because Stephanie's palm connected with his cheek.

Stephanie took a step back and glared at Jackson; "You deserved that."

Jackson lifted his hand on his stinging cheek and met Stephanie's eyes; "I know."

Stephanie let out a deep breath before speaking again; "I guess it's over then" she said.

Jackson threw her a rueful look before sighing; "I'm sorry, I'm a bastard and I don't deserve you. I don't know how to say this without incriminating me more but I tried Steph...I really tried" he said. He then paused and licked his lips; "You're a wonderful person, you're sweet, you're kind, you're smart and extremely gorgeous-"

"But you're in love with someone else" Stephanie finished the sentence for him. She then puffed out a breath and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "Does she know?" she asked.

Jackson stiffened like a deer caught in headlights.

Stephanie rolled her eyes; "Does Dr. Kepner know that you're in love with her? Did you tell her?" she asked.

"How did you-who told you?" Jackson stuttered.

Stephanie pursed her lips; "It doesn't matter who told me or how I knew. I just want to know if you already grew balls and told the woman you're pining for that you're actually in love with her."

Jackson cringed; "Err—I don't think it's appropriate to talk to you about this-"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him before she began hitting him with her lab coat; "Stringing me along is inappropriate! Not telling me that you're still in love with someone while sleeping with me is inappropriate! Now I'm asking you to be honest with me for the first time and you're telling me that it's inappropriate?"

Jackson shielded his face with his arms; "Stop hitting me Steph, geez!" he yelped.

Stephanie pulled her lab coat away; "Did you tell her?"

"I'm only telling you this because you're acting full crazy on me" Jackson paused. He then cleared his throat and stood straighter; "No I haven't told her and I'm still thinking if I should."

Stephanie threw him a disappointed look; "I never pegged you to be coward but that's exactly what you are now."

"I'm not a coward!"

Stephanie flung her lab coat on her shoulder; "What you just told me is pure cowardice and Dr. Kepner deserves better than that, we both deserve better" she said before walking away.

Jackson stood rooted on the ground.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith was standing outside April's door for 15 minutes now; she wanted to bail and just let someone else discharge the red headed surgeon but nobody seems to want to do the honours. She leaned back on the nurses' station and bowed her head; she closed her eyes and began counting 1 to 10, trying to calm her nerves.

"What are you doing?"

Meredith's eyes snapped open upon hearing the familiar voice; slowly, she raised her head and saw April's head peeking from her door. "H—hi Apes, good morning, I was just about to enter your room."

April rolled her eyes and pulled the door wider; "No you're not. I've been watching you for 15 minutes now and I have feeling that if I didn't open my door, you would've bailed on me" she said.

Meredith threw her friend a sheepish look before walking towards the room.

April shook her head before moving towards her bed; she hopped up and sat sideways, facing the general surgeon.

"Err-I have your discharge papers here and I already signed them. All we need is your signature then you're good to go" Meredith said.

April crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her brow; "Anything else?"

Meredith shifted towards the over-bed table and placed the folder on top it; she then stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pocket's and began rocking on her heels nervously. "I—I'm sorry Apes-I didn't think that the joke I played on Alex will get out of hand..."

"Uhuuhhh..."

Meredith fidgeted with her pockets, trying her best not to squirm under April's inquisitive gaze; "We—we didn't mean any harm. Alex and Cristina didn't intend to let Jackson know, he overheard them talking and Jackson left even before they were to correct what he heard..." she explained.

April was enjoying making Meredith Grey squirm but she feels that the general surgeon had enough torture for one day so she relented; "Are you really sorry?" she asked.

Meredith nodded her head automatically; "I really am" she said with sincerity.

"Apology accepted"

"Are you sure? Because I can totally understand if you won't, I mean, we did screw up—"

"Meredith, please shut up" April said.

Meredith snapped her mouth shut.

April eyed her friend before smiling; "It's okay, I'm not mad at you or Alex nor Cristina. It's fine."

Meredith threw her a confused look.

April braised her palms on her side and began dangling her feet; "I admit, it pissed me off at first because I was caught off guard but then I realized that without you guys meddling Jackson wouldn't have talked to me" she said.

A look of understanding dawned on Meredith's face; "So how did it go? Did he shout like how you expected? Was he livid?" she asked.

April scoffed; "He's beyond livid and he shouted alright."

Meredith winced; "I'm sorry..."

April waived her hand dismissively; "It's okay, I kinda expected that from him anyway. At least I get to shout at him too and it felt good, really good" she said.

Meredith walked towards the bed and sat beside April; she then braised her hands on her knees and turned her face sideways. "You shouted? Really?"

April chuckled; "I was surprised at myself too, I didn't know I had it in me. I guess I just exploded and told him everything I wouldn't have told him normally, it was liberating" she said.

Meredith smiled.

"We're not done talking yet, he told me that there are things that he still needs to clarify and he still wants to explain why he was not able to answer me that night."

"Well, you deserve to know..." Meredith replied.

April pursed her lips; "I don't understand why he's insisting to explain himself, I mean, I'm pretty much giving him a free pass and any average guy would just grab it run for the hills."

Meredith chuckled; "Jackson is not your average guy, he's too pretty to be average" she joked.

April laughed; "He's too pretty for his own good" she replied.

"But seriously Apes, hear him out. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise you"

April smiled; "I already told him that I'll talk to him after my boards so he'll definitely get his chance but I doubt he'll sing a different tune Mer so don't keep your hopes up" she joked.

Meredith smile mischievously before hopping off the bed; "We'll see. Now you better sign this discharge papers so you can go your merry way."

April grinned widely; "Let me at it!" she said enthusiastically.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Owen was gowning up when his wife came walking towards him; "Hey" he greeted.

Cristina stood beside him and grabbed herself a gown; "I was paged 911, what do we have?" she asked.

Owen laced his gown and turned towards Cristina; "Incoming Trauma, multiple GSW on the patient's chest."

Cristina smirked and turned her back towards Owen; "Lace me up, nothing beats a good surgery to start my day" she said.

Owen chuckles as he laces his wife's gown; "I knew you'd say that" he said.

Cristina winked; "Come on husband, let's start our day right" she said before walking towards the E.R. doors.

Owen smiled as he shook his head.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was standing along the coffee cart when he saw Meredith and April exiting the elevator; he quickly paid for his coffee and sauntered towards them.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Meredith asked.

April rolled her eyes as she drags her bright pink suitcase behind her; "I will be fine Mer, don't worry about me."

"Why is she not sitting on a wheel chair like any other normal patient?" Alex asked.

April paused and turned towards the other surgeon, smiling; "Because I'm not a normal patient Alex, I'm a doctor here. And besides, I can walk perfectly fine" she chirped.

Alex shook his head at the Trauma surgeon's stubbornness; "You ready to go home then?"

"Yep"

Meredith stopped beside April and stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "You already know the rules so I won't bore you with it but if you need anything and I mean anything at all, don't hesitate to call, okay?" she said.

April turned to Meredith and smiled; "I will."

"Why are you on your feet?"

The trio turned around and saw Derek walking towards them; the Neurosurgeon stopped beside his wife and smiled at his former student.

"I insisted to walk so I can stretch my legs a bit, I've been chained to the bed far too long" April explained.

Derek smiled; "Stubborn as always, well, take it easy and we'll see you soon."

April smiled at Derek; "I will."

"How will you get home? Did you already call for a cab?" Alex asked.

April wheeled her suitcase right in front of her and cleared her throat; "Err—yeah, of course. I'm just going to wait for it, yeah-so you guys can go back to work now and I'll see you next week" she stuttered.

Alex narrowed his eyes at April before turning towards the couple; "She's lying" he said bluntly.

April threw Alex an indignant look; "I—I'm not lying!" she shrilled.

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest and raised his brow; "You get shrilly and stutter-y when you lie Kepner."

April felt her cheeks flush as she tries to think for a rebuttal.

Meredith threw a suspicious look at her patient; "I'll wait until your cab arrives."

"B—but you have surgeries to attend to, patients to save. I don't want you to waste time waiting with me, I-"

Derek chuckles as he turned towards the Ped's Attending; "She is a terrible liar."

April's eyes widen; "Dr. Shepherd! I-I'm not lying!" she shrilled.

Alex smirked to Derek; "See? Shrilly and stutter-y" he pointed out.

Derek was about to respond but his pager went off; he quickly pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. "Torres paged me for a consult" he said. He turned towards April and smiled; "Take a cab like a good patient" he said. He then turned towards his wife and planted a soft peck on her lips; "Stay with her until the cab arrives and call me as soon as your done so we can take Bailey for his shots" he said.

"But you have a consult, we can wait" Meredith said.

Derek planted another kiss on Meredith's lips; "It's not a patient consult, so call me" he repeated before turning on his heel.

April let out a defeated sigh; "I basically live 15 minutes away from the hospital so I don't see why I can't drive, it's not like I'll be lifting my car or something" she said petulantly.

Meredith braised her hands on her hips; "It's in the rules Apes, no driving for at least 2 weeks."

Alex snorted; "You're the only one among us whose stickler for rules and you just happen to choose not to obey them now, really?"

April groaned; "But my car has been stuck here for like a week and I-"

Alex shushed her and shoved his hand towards April, palm face up.

April stared at Alex' hand confusedly; "Uhh—what are you doing?"

"I'm asking you to dance to the damn prom that's what I'm doing, geez! Just give me your stupid keys and I'll take your car to your apartment!" Alex barked.

"I-"

"Awwww..." Meredith teased.

"Shut up Mer!" Alex hissed. He then wiggled is hand impatiently and glared at April; "Well? I don't have all day so give it to me!"

April fumbled with her pockets and hastily fished out her keys; she handed it to Alex and smiled shyly. "Err-thank you for doing this—you really don't have too but-"

Alex rolled his eyes as he snatches the keys from April's hand; "Whatever! Don't mention it" he said before turning around and walking away.

April bemusedly watched the other surgeon leave.

Meredith chuckles as she pulls her phone from her pocket; "Now that's settled, let me call a cab for you because I know you didn't" she said cheerily.

April made a face.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"You can start your reconstruction right after Shepherd and I take the tumour out" Callie said.

Jackson nodded; "Sound's great" he said.

"You paged?" Derek asked as he stepped into the room.

Callie turned towards the door and smiled; "Yeah, we just need a quick run over on our treatment plan for Mason Anderson. Avery and I already discussed his part so it's just you and me" she said.

"Okay" Derek replied. He then walked towards the large touch screen panel and began navigating it with his fingers.

"Like what we've discussed, we'll do the frontal approach to dissect the tumour. I will cut the frontal portion of the skull and—"

Derek's phone began ringing loudly cutting off the Orthopaedic Surgeon mid speech; "I'm so sorry, excuse me" he said apologetically.

Callie paused; "Go ahead."

"Hey, that was fast—Uhuh—He did? I'm pretty sure she wasn't happy about it—really? Well it's for her own good—Uhuh-I'll come find you once I'm done here—okay-bye" Derek pocketed his phone. He then turned towards Callie and smiled; "Sorry about that, it was Mer. We're supposed to take Bailey to Ped's to get his shots but she got held off by Kepner's stubbornness" he explained.

Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and began listening intently to Derek.

Callie chuckled; "What did Kepner do this time?" she asked.

Derek stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "Well, she opted to walk instead of being wheeled like any other normal patient and oh, she wants drive herself home and-"

"Did Mer let her? She can't drive for at least 2 weeks" Jackson interrupted, his brows furrowing.

Derek turned towards Jackson and raised his brow; "Of course not, that was the hold off. Apparently she had a nefarious plan of making my wife think that she's riding a taxi. Good thing Karev was able to read her reactions so he was able to call her bluff, by the way, April is not a very good liar" he finished with a cringe.

Jackson looked pensive; "She's shrilly and stutter-y, she sucks at lying" he said.

Callie shook her head in amusement; "Classic Kepner, just as stubborn as the day she got admitted" she said.

Derek laughed; "Exactly. But don't you worry, Karev confiscated her car keys and Mer shoved her into a cab so she'll be alright."

Jackson let out a sigh of relief; "That's good to hear" he replied.

Derek gazed bemusedly at the Plastics Attending's relieved face before turning towards Callie; "Okay Torres, back to what you were saying."

Jackson moved his eyes back to his tab, ignoring the medical chatter between the other two surgeons.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**After one week: **

"As you all know, Dr. Kepner will be back to work today so she'll be managing the pit again. However, she will only do consults, minor non surgical procedures and administrative work since she's still recovering from her recent surgery. She will not be allowed inside an O.R. just yet so we would still need some extra set of hands just in case a Trauma comes along. I already assigned Edwards and Ross under her service so I only need one first year Attending that can work alongside with them, so, who wants to volunteer?" Owen asked while eyeing Meredith.

"As much as I want to, I can't. I'm doing a complete spleenectomy and bowel resection to one of my patients. I already pushed it once so I can no longer cancel it" Meredith explained.

Owen turned his gaze towards his wife; "Dr. Yang?"

Cristina shook her head; "I have a Micro-valve replacement and two angiograms today, I'm swamped" she replied.

Owen turned towards Alex; "Karev?"

"No can do Chief, I can't babysit today. The second batches of my African kids are arriving in a couple of hours so I need to prep" Alex replied.

Owen sighed and turned towards his last available first year Attending; "Avery?"

Jackson let out a defeated sigh before tearing his eyes away from his tab; "Do I have a choice?"

Owen eyed the other surgeon; "Of course you do" he replied. He then turned his eyes towards the other first year Attendings; "I know you're all very busy today but I can't just let Kepner alone in the pit without at least one of you with her because I'm pretty sure she'll go full crazy and dive right in without thinking of herself. It's her first day back and she needs all the help she can get so if you have time to spare, try to lend a hand" he said before smiling weakly.

Alex leaned back on his chair and sighed; "Fine—I'll babysit her until—"

"I'll do it" Jackson said, cutting his friend off mid-sentence.

Owen turned his gaze towards Jackson; "Are you sure?" he asked.

Jackson stood up from his chair and grabbed his tab from the table; "I can cancel all my elective procedures for the day and push them tomorrow. Is she already at the pit?" he asked.

"Yes she is" Owen replied.

Jackson pushed away from the table; "Can I go now? I need to inform my patients" he asked.

Owen nodded.

Jackson hastily turned on his back and began walking away; once he reached the door, he pulled it open and stepped out of the room.

Cristina leaned towards Meredith; "Want another wager?" she whispered.

Meredith smiled; "Let's talk about it outside."

"Aren't you two tired of losing money?" Alex asked.

"Shut up!" Meredith and Cristina said in unison.

Alex rolled his eyes.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"So...you're under Kepner's service today? Are you cool with that?" Jo stared at her friend worriedly.

Stephanie slung her stethoscope around her neck and plucked her lab coat from her locker; "Yeah, why?" she asked.

Jo leaned back on her locker and crossed her arms on top her chest; "I mean, she's the reason why you and Dr. Pretty eyes broke up..." she said.

Stephanie shrugged her lab coat on and stared at the other intern; "It's not her fault Jo, she didn't do anything."

"But—"

"But nothing, okay?" Stephanie said sternly. She then took a deep breath and stuffed her hand inside her pockets; "She did not seduce him or stole him away from me. He was not mine to begin with and I already accepted that. Dr. Kepner did not do anything mean to me, she's nice and she actually takes time to teach not like the other Attendings', so I don't have a problem working with her" she said.

Jo puffed out a breath and squared her shoulders; "Okay..." she replied.

Stephanie smiled at her friend; "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" she said.

Jo nodded; "See you" she replied.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Today's your lucky day Dr. Ross because you'll definitely get your hands dirty" April said brightly.

Shane walked towards his mentor and smiled; "I'm looking forward to it. It's nice to have you back as a doctor, Dr. Kepner" he said.

April giggled; "It's nice to have you back as my intern rather than my doctor, Dr. Ross"

Shane chuckles as he rubs his palm together; "You mentioned something about getting my hands dirty, lump's and bump's day?" he asked.

"Nope"

Shane paused and threw his mentor a confused look; "Then what are we doing today?" he asked.

April smiled widely; "Today you'll get your chance to assist first hand in an incoming Trauma, that means, you'll be able to access the Trauma Rooms and possibly scrub in an actual surgery"

Shane's eyes widen in surprise; "R—really?"

April nodded; "Are you excited?" she asked.

"Hell yeah!" Shane replied ecstatically.

April chuckled; she then moved towards the nurses' station and plucked her tab. She tapped her finger on the screen and read the schedule that was posted; "Do you know where Dr. Edwards is? She's also under my service today."

"Present!"

April tore her eyes from the tab and turned to her right; she then placed her tab on top of the desk and smiled brightly. "Dr. Edwards, it's nice of you to join us"

Stephanie stood beside Shane and smiled at their perky Attending; "It's nice to have you back Dr. Kepner"

April nodded and stuffed her hands inside her pockets; "I'm glad to be back as well. Like what I already told Dr. Ross awhile ago, you'll definitely get your hands dirty today because you'll get your chance to assist first hand in an incoming Trauma, that means, you'll be able to access the Trauma Rooms and possibly scrub in an actual surgery" she said.

Stephanie's eyes widen; "R—really?"

"Really."

"That's awesome!" Stephanie exclaimed.

April smiled enviously at her interns excitement; "I know. I'd cut my arm if I can just perform one surgery today. It's been so long since I last operated and I think I'm having a surgical withdrawal" she groaned.

"If you cut your arm then we would have to re-attach it and then you'll have to go through a hell lot of P.T which will keep you away from surgeries much longer, so I vote keeping your arm today."

April squeaked and quickly spun on her heels; she felt her heart beat wildly when she saw Jackson standing right in front of her. "Don't sneak on peoples back! It's rude!" she snapped.

Jackson chuckled; "I'm glad your back" he said.

April let out a small smile; "Thanks, I'm glad to be back as a doctor".

Jackson shook his head as he shrugs on his lab coat.

April watched Jackson put his lab coat on and narrowed her eyes at the Plastics Attending with suspicion; "What are you doing here? Don't you have surgeries today?"

Jackson stuffed his hands inside his pocket and smiled sheepishly; "It was all cancelled, I'm your other Attending for today, didn't Hunt tell you?"

"Oh." April gasped in surprise.

Jackson eyed her with caution; "Is it alright?"

April cleared her throat before nodding; "Of course it's alright" she replied. She then gestures towards her two quiet interns; "Well you're lucky because we have Dr. Edwards and Dr. Ross under our service today" she said with a small smile.

Jackson mentally swore; he didn't notice the two intern's standing close to them because he was so focused on what April was saying, well, he was focused on April, period. "Hey guys" he greeted.

"G-good morning Dr. Avery" Shane stuttered.

Jackson nodded towards Shane before moving his eyes to his ex; "Good Morning" he awkwardly greeted.

Stephanie met his eyes; "Good morning Dr. Avery" she said politely.

April watched the interaction between her best friend and his lover and she instantly felt confused; she turned her gaze towards Stephanie and forced out the most appeasing smile she can muster. "Err-you guys don't have to act so-professional around me because I know what you guys are" she said. She then leaned forward and tried her best to whisper; "its weirder hearing you two address each other so formally."

Stephanie opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the nurse sitting at her station. "Dr. Kepner, incoming Trauma in 5 minutes. MVC patients and two ambulances are on its way"

April's eyes widen; "Okay" she replied to the nurse. She then turned towards her interns and smiled eagerly; "It's now your time to shine, Edwards and Ross, gown up and wait for the ambulance at the entrance" she ordered.

"I'm on it!" Shane replied before hastily walking away.

Stephanie grinned widely as she follows Ross.

Jackson also turned on his heel to gown up when he felt a tug on his arm; he paused and slowly turned his head. "Yes?"

April pulled her hand away and stared at him directly; "I meant what I said Jackson, you don't have to act differently with Edwards, it's really okay" she said.

Jackson took a deep breath before answering; "She broke up with me that's why we're being professional"

April's eyes widen in shock; she opened her mouth to speak but when no words came out she closed it again.

Jackson smiled at her weakly; "Don't worry about it, it was going to end soon anyway, she just sped up the process I guess."

April cleared her throat; "Are-are you alright?" she asked.

"I am."

April studied his face and bit her bottom lip; "I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you two..." she whispered.

Jackson was about to respond but was cut off when he saw Ross pushing the gurney frantically towards Trauma Room 1; he cringed as he watches the intern flounder and panic. "I think I should check that" he said while gesturing towards Ross.

April moved her gaze towards the room that Jackson is pointing at; after a couple of seconds of watching she fell into fits of giggles. "You should, I think he's about ready to collapse even before he gets to touch the patient."

"He's your guy, huh?" Jackson teased before rushing towards the room.

April guffawed; "He still is!" she yelled.

"Dr. Kepner I need your help here please!"

April's head snapped towards the hysterical voice and saw her other intern on top of the moving gurney performing chest compression's on the bloodied patient; she quickly ran towards them and began steering it towards Trauma Room 2. "Page Dr. Hunt, Dr. Yang and Dr. Bailey now!" she yelled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April stepped out of Trauma Room 2 with a wince; she closed the door behind her and gently placed her hand on her slightly sore abdomen. She took a deep calming breath before she started hobbling towards the nurses' station; once she reached the desk, she leaned her arms on top of it and closed her eyes.

"Kepner!"

April cringed before opening her eyes and turning around; "Yes Chief?"

Owen stood directly behind her with his hands braised on his hips; "What did I tell you earlier?" he asked sternly.

"Err—that I only do consult's, admin works, minor non surgical procedures and I should take it easy?" April replied.

Owen narrowed his eyes at his student; "Exactly. So why did you try to haul the patient sideways?"

April swallowed hard; "I-I did what I had to do Chief, I had to turn him to side so Dr. Edwards can—"

"I know but the patient is twice your size! You could've asked the Paramedic guy who happens to be there with you to turn him instead of doing it yourself. You know that you can't lift heavy stuff yet and I made it very clear that I only allowed you back inside this pit because you agreed to my rules."

April lowered her eyes to floor, feeling completely chastised.

Owen let out a sigh upon seeing his student's downcast demeanor; "I'm not mad because you disobeyed me, I'm mad because I'm looking out for you but you're not looking after yourself."

April lifted her gaze and offered a small smile; "I'm sorry..."

"I know you miss handling this stuff because you've been out of commission for quite some time but I don't want you compromising yourself just because you miss it" Owen explained. He then stood straighter and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "I know the lifting stuff is from adrenalin rush, now be honest, does your incision hurt?" he asked while eyeing her inquisitively.

April made a face; "Kinda..." she replied.

Owen shook his head as he chuckles; "I noticed you walking funny when you left the room that's why I followed you. Well, take a breather for 30 minutes, I can handle the pit for the moment" he said.

"But—"

Owen narrowed his eyes; "No buts. The Chief is ordering you, so scoot!"

April pursed her lips; "Fine. I'll be back in 30" she relented.

Owen smirked; "Good girl" he said.

April rolled her eyes.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"The bleeding inside her abdomen is too much, I need to get in there to find the source" Dr. Bailey said.

Jackson turned his head towards the intern; "Ross, book O.R. 2 now" he barked.

"Right away Dr. Avery" Shane replied.

Jackson turned towards Miranda; "Her nose bridge is completely shattered but I can definitely fix it, the burn on her legs is superficial so it can wait."

"I'll page you once I'm done" Miranda replied.

"O.R. 2 is being prepped and it should be ready by the time you go there" Shane said.

Jackson faced Ross; "You will scrub in with Dr. Bailey but as soon as you're done, page me."

"I will Dr. Avery. Thank you" Shane replied.

Miranda pulled the side railing of gurney and began pushing it; "Move people!" she barked.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was drinking water when she saw Alex and Meredith coming towards her direction; she swallowed a mouthful before screwing the bottle cap on. "Hey"

"Hey Apes!" Meredith greeted before pulling a chair and plopping down.

Alex moved towards the other chair and just braised his hand on it; "I thought you're handling the pit?"

"I was but Chief Hunt kicked me out and put me into a 30 minute time out" April pouted.

"You've only been there for an hour and you already manage to get your ass kicked? Wow! You must be super annoying that even Hunt can't stand you" Alex teased.

April smiled sarcastically at Alex; "You're an ass"

Alex chuckled.

"So why were you thrown out?" Meredith asked curiously.

April pursed her lips; "There was an incoming Trauma and Edwards was panicking, we had to turn the patient to his side and I sort off hauled him so Edwards can work on him" she replied.

Alex raised his brow; "How big was your patient?" he asked.

April made a face; "His not that big..."

Alex snickered and turned towards Meredith; "Meaning, his twice her size" he concluded.

"April!" Meredith said chastisingly.

April huffed; "I'm fine! It didn't hurt as much" she said defiantly.

"You deserve to have your butt kicked. Where the hell is Avery? He's supposed to babysit you the whole day? Don't tell me he chickened out after he valiantly volunteered" Alex asked with a frown.

April's eyes widen; "He volunteered?" she asked.

Meredith nodded; "He did. Alex offered since he's kids aren't here yet but Jackson stepped in" she replied with a smile.

April leaned back on her chair, clearly in a daze.

Alex smirked; "Don't drop your panties yet Kepner, he's still with Edwards" he teased.

"Stop being so crass Alex!" Meredith said.

April ignored Alex's crude comments and just stared at the water bottle on top of the table.

Alex just shrugged his shoulders; "Just saying" he said.

Meredith rolled her eyes.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson pulled the door open to Trauma Room 1 and stepped outside the hallway; he furrowed his brows and began walking towards the nurses' station. "Chief?"

Owen tore his eyes away from the Electronic Patient Tracker screen and stared at the other Attending; "Has your patient been moved to O.R. 2?" he asked.

Jackson nodded; "Yes, Dr. Bailey has her."

"Good" Owen replied before moving his eyes towards the tab in his hands; he tapped at it couple of times, updating the large screen right in front of them.

"Where's April? She's the one who's supposed to be updating that."

Owen placed the tab on top of the desk and turned his gaze towards Jackson; "I put her into time out" he replied.

Jackson raised his brow; "Why?" he asked.

Owen leaned on the desk; "Because she's walking funny and I think her incision hurts"

Jackson shoved his hands inside his pocket and frowned; "Is she alright? I mean I just left her here a couple of minutes ago and she seemed fine"

"That's before she hauled a 200 lbs man to his side" Owen replied.

Jackson's eyes widen in disbelief; "She what?" he asked.

Owen rolled his eyes; "She was trying to help Edwards and didn't thought of the Paramedic with them. You know how Kepner gets when Trauma comes" he explained.

"Where is she then? Is she okay?"

"I put her on time out so she can rest for a bit, I'm guessing she's in the cafeteria brooding" Owen replied.

Jackson smiled wryly; "I have a feeling that she's not liking that one bit"

Owen chuckled; "She didn't" he replied.

Jackson just shook his head.

Owen cleared his throat and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Her boards are coming up, do you know if she's having difficulties in reviewing? I was a little hesitant to allow her back because she might not have ample time to review but you know how hard headed she can get."

Jackson met Owen's eyes directly; "She'll pass it this time" he said with conviction.

"She'll definitely crush them this year" Owen replied.

Jackson smiled; "She will."

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex pulled a chair and sat down; he then leaned back and crossed his legs. "Your boards are coming up, you still reviewing?" he asked.

April uncapped her bottle and took a swig before answering; "Don't remind me. I've been reviewing like crazy since last month."

Meredith smiled; "Don't worry about it too much, you'll pass."

Alex smirked; "We'll even throw you a party and you can dance on top of the sofa like last year" he teased.

April felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment; "Oh god. Please don't bring that up"

Meredith laughed; "You were quite wasted that night" she said.

April groaned and buried her face into her palms.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about, you had a shitty day. Pissed drunk Kepner trumps sulky Kepner, it's a win-win for us" Alex said.

Meredith laughed harder.

April pulled her face away from her hands and scowled at Alex; "You're being a douche" she snapped.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "I do what I can"

Meredith shook her head; "If you still need help with reviewing we can help you, right Alex?" she said before turning her eyes towards the Ped's Attending.

Alex bobbed his head in agreement; "Yeah"

"Really?"

Meredith nodded; "Of course. I still have the flash cards we used last year, I'm pretty sure those cases will still be used this year."

April smiled widely; "Are you guys serious? I mean, I wouldn't want to bother you or anything—"

"Throwing questions and making you squirm is much more fun than watching you flounder alone, believe me" Alex said.

April pursed her lips while thinking.

"Come on Apes, that was a no brainer question. We would love to help, I bet even Cristina will be thrilled to grill you with her questions" Meredith said.

April smiled; "Fine."

Alex grinned as he rubs his palms together; "When can the grilling start?" he asked excitedly.

April laughed nervously; "Err-it's up to you guys, really..."

"I can't today, I don't have the cards and I'm swamped with procedures today" Meredith replied.

Alex grinned even wider; "I can start today, my African kids aren't here yet" he said.

"Oh? Don't you have procedures lined up today?" April asked.

Alex shook his head; "Nope, it was cancelled because of my African kids" he replied.

April puffed out a breath and moved her eyes towards her wrist watch; "If that's the case then we can start but I need to head towards the pit, my 30 minutes time out is already finish" she said while standing up.

Alex shot up from his perch and began rotating his shoulders; "Lead the way" he said.

April rolled her eyes; she then turned towards the other surgeon and smiled. "Well we better go. I'll see you later Mer and again thank you!" she said.

Meredith waived her hand dismissively; "Stop thanking me Apes. Go now and let Alex torture you, scoot!"

April plucked her water bottle from the table and spun on her heels; "Come on Karev!" she said.

Alex smirked at his oldest friend; "I will enjoy this. See you later Mer!" he said cheerily.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was charting on the nurses' station when he felt someone standing behind him.

"Dr. Avery?"

Jackson paused and turned; "Yes?" he asked.

"Chief Hunt asked me to tell you that he forgot to update the board, the patient in Trauma Room 2 has already been moved to O.R. 3 and Dr. Yang is currently operating" Stephanie said.

Jackson furrowed his brows and turned his gaze towards the electronic board; "Yeah, looks like he didn't" he said. He then plucked the tab beside the charts and began tapping at its screen; after a couple of seconds, the board blinked and the information was updated. "There you go"

Stephanie eyed the board and nodded; "I'll tell Chief Hunt" she said before turning on her heels.

"Steph-"

Stephanie paused; she then turned her head and threw her ex beau a questioning look.

Jackson stared at her for a couple of seconds before speaking; "I know our situation now is awkward and I just want to apologize for that. April needed help on her first week back so Hunt asked me to co-pilot the pit today" he explained.

Stephanie met his gaze and let out a small smile; "You don't have to explain, it's okay, we're cool."

Jackson let out a sigh of relief before smiling; "Thank you for understanding" he replied.

"Is there anything else?" Stephanie asked.

Jackson shook his head; "No, that's it" he replied.

Stephanie nodded before walking away.

Jackson shifted and placed the tab back on top of the desk; he plucks the pen and continued with his charting.

"We really don't have to do this now, you know. We can like start tomorrow, it's not like I'll be hiding or something"

Jackson paused and turned his head sideways when he heard a familiar voice.

"Come on Apes! Why wait for tomorrow when we can get it on now!" Alex said loudly.

Jackson raised his brow as he watches the two bantering surgeons move towards his direction.

April pursed her lips; "You only want to torture me!"

Alex rolled his eyes; "I'm not torturing you, I'm actually helping you!"

April ignored his statement and stopped right in front of Jackson; "Hey" she greeted weakly.

"You okay?" Jackson asked.

"I will be, if you can get rid of Alex" April replied.

"Hey!"

Jackson peered behind April's back; "Hey man, what's up?"

Alex stood behind the Trauma Surgeon and leaned on the nurses' station; "Kepner is being a pain in the ass."

"I'm not!" April said indignantly.

Jackson also leaned sideways on the desk and stared at April; "Hunt told me you hauled a 200 lbs man and you're walking funny, are you really okay?" he asked.

April huffed; "I'm okay! And that's not the reason why Karev is harassing me!"

"Oh."

Alex peeked from April's back; "I'm helping her review for her boards" he supplied.

"You're annoying me and you just want to torture me for your own amusement."

Jackson furrowed his brows; "Do you need help in reviewing?" he asked.

Alex scoffed but didn't say anything.

April turned to face Jackson and sighed; "I'm sort of confident with what I know but I'm not sure if that would be enough to help me pass my boards"' she admitted.

"You will crush the boards this year Apes, we're only offering help because we want to keep you on your toes and not because we think you're gonna fail"

April turned her head sideways and threw Alex a smile; "Thank you, that was sweet of you" she replied.

"Whatever" Alex replied.

Jackson cleared his throat; "I can also help, I mean, since we'll be working together the whole day, I can throw a question or two" he offered.

April turned her gaze back towards Jackson; "Really?" she asked.

Jackson smiled; "You're really asking me that?" he teased.

April chuckled; "I'm just making sure, I mean, I don't want to impose or anything"

Jackson rolled his eyes; "As if."

Alex eyed the couple with interest before standing straight; he then shoved his hands inside his pockets and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "You know what, why don't you guys quiz each other. I forgot, I still have a consult."

"What? But you were just bugging me a while ago-" April said as she turns around to face the Ped's Attending.

Alex waives his hand dismissively as he saunters away; "Yeah, yeah. I forgot, get over it. Have Avery review you, I'll see you later!" he said.

"But I don't have any questions yet!" Jackson hollered.

"Not my problem Avery, use that pretty head of yours!" Alex replied before exiting the pit.

April puffed out air before turning towards the nurses' station; "I can't understand that man, he's so weird" she said.

Jackson shook his head; "He's an enigma, don't even try" he replied. He then turned his eyes towards April as he shoves his hands inside his pockets; "Can you give me like 30 minutes? I still need to wrack my brain for board worthy questions" he said.

"You don't really have to do this Jackson, you know" April said.

Jackson frowned; "But I want too. Don't you want my help?"

April bit her bottom lip; "Of course I want your help, I need all the help I can get but it's just that I don't want to burden you more, I mean, you already have a lot in your plate like this hospital, your patients and err—your personal life" she babbled.

Jackson's face softened; "You will never be a burden to me April and you should know that by now. Those things that you mentioned can wait; it's not like the hospital will crumble if I take my eyes away from it. My patients won't die if I throw a question or two at you and my personal life is—err—not existent at the moment so I have time, don't worry about it" he explained.

April stared at him for a few seconds before smiling; "I appreciate this, thank you" she said with sincerity.

Jackson smiled back; "You are very much welcome. So, can you give me 30 minutes to think about questions that will boggle your mind?" he asked.

April laughed; "You're on Jackman" she replied.

Jackson smirked.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex walked towards O.R. 1 and pushed the door open; he stepped into the room and held a mask in front of his mouth. "I'm down for 100 bucks and I'm changing my wager."

"I need more suction here Wilson" Meredith instructed her intern. She then lifted her gaze and stared at her friend; "Huh? What changed your mind? What will it be then?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just want to pump it up a bit. I say he'll grow balls and explode before the Mass Gen ship sails" Alex said.

Meredith laughed; "You're awful Alex, did you tell Cristina?"

"Nope but I will. How many days did she bet on this time?" Alex asked curiously.

Meredith lowered her gaze back to the open cavity; "I think she's down with 1 week" she replied.

Alex scoffed; "1 week? Pathetic. She's pretty much throwing money at us, how about you?" he asked.

"After the boards" Meredith replied.

"Not bad Mer, not bad"

Meredith chuckled; "No heckling or meddling Alex, those are the rules"

"Whatever Mer, see you later!" Alex said before turning around and leaving.

"More suction Wilson" Meredith said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**April's Boards: First day (Monday):**

The week passed by like a breeze and the day that April is dreading has come. Today is the day she'll leave for her boards and the red headed Trauma Surgeon is beyond nervous.

"Put away those freaking cards or I'll burn them right in front of you!" Alex snapped.

April tore her eyes away from her flash cards and took a step back; "Stop being an ass Alex!" she replied.

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest; "We've already quizzed you enough, if you don't stop studying you might have a mental block or something"

"Oh god!" April gasped in horror.

Meredith slapped Alex's back; "Not helping Alex," she scolded.

Cristina chuckles as she stares at April; "Evil spawn is right you know...it does happen. So, be a good girl and stop studying"

April stared at the Cardio Surgeon for a few seconds before following the advice; she stacked the cards neatly in her hands and slipped it inside her jean's back pocket.

"You'll do good Apes, stop panicking and kick their asses!" Meredith said encouragingly.

April smiled weakly; "I'll try..." she replied.

"Hey"

April turned around and saw Jackson walking towards her; "Hey..." she replied.

Jackson stood right in front of her and smiled; "You ready to crush them?" he asked.

"Yeah...I guess?" April replied while chuckling nervously.

Jackson studied his best friend's face and narrowed his eyes; he took one step forward and gently braised both hands on her shoulders. "You'll be fine and you'll do great. There's nothing they can ask you that you will not be able answer. So, don't panic and just calm it down" he soothed.

April stared at Jackson's eyes; "But—"

Jackson shook his head; "There's no buts'. You will do this and you will pass, after 12 midnight tomorrow you will be a board certified surgeon."

April bit her bottom lip as she digests her person's words; after a couple of seconds she took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, I can do this. I am soldier."

Jackson pulled his hands and smiled; "I still don't get that" he said.

April laughed.

"Hey Avery, why don't you lend Kepner your binky, you know, for good luck?" Alex teased.

Meredith and Cristina snickered.

Jackson turned his gaze towards Alex and flipped him a finger; "Go to hell"

Alex laughed.

April wheeled her pink luggage right in front of her legs and cleared her throat; "Err-guys?" she said, garnering the four surgeon's attention. She swallowed hard before speaking; "I just want to thank you all for helping me review last week. You guys had been awesome and I'll try my very best not to disappoint you."

"Awww...Kepner is being sentimental" Cristina teased good naturedly.

"You're too neurotic not to pass Apes, I'm sure you'll have your interviewers by the balls, just try not to annoy them and you'll do fine" Alex said with a smile.

"You're an awesome surgeon Apes and I'm sure they'll see that, so break a leg and make us proud" Meredith said.

"You're a brilliant surgeon and you'll do just fine" Jackson said. He then took a step back and threw her a loop-sided smile; "And oh, please refrain from engaging in bar room brawl, you need to have a good night sleep after all" he said while winking.

April's eyes widen in disbelief; "You did not just say that!" she shrilled.

Alex and Cristina smirked while Meredith stared at the bantering couple with interest; "That's what you've been up to while I was dying from stomach flu?"

"Yes" – "No" April and Jackson replied in unison. April then took a step forward and began hitting Jackson with her hand; "You're an ass! What happened between me and you?"

Jackson chuckles as he deflects April's hands.

"Kepner!"

April paused mid hit and turned towards her right; "Chief!"

Owen walked towards his first year Attendings' and raised his brow in amusement; "Are you hitting Avery to alleviate your stress?"

April cheeks flushes as she meets her mentor's inquisitive gaze; "I—Err—He's being an ass!"

Owen shoved his hands inside his lab coat pockets; "Are you ready?" he asked.

April nodded; "I am" she replied.

Owen grinned; "Perfect. Now, remember to relax and try not to panic so much. Remember you are a soldier and every day we fight fiercer battles in the pit and that's way harder than the situational crap that they'll be throwing at you. Keep your chin up and be the surgeon you're meant to be."

"Oh, that's where the soldier thing came from" Jackson murmured to himself.

April rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath; "I am a soldier and I'm gonna crush them, got it Chief!" she said.

Owen chuckled; "Get your ass in that bus, you can't crush them if you're still standing here" he instructed.

April grasped her luggage's handle and squared her shoulders; she then turned towards her friends and smiled widely. "Wish me luck guys! I'll see you on Wednesday!" she said before scurrying towards the bus.

"Good luck!" Owen and Jackson hollered in unison.

"Don't annoy them Kepner! Good luck!" Alex yelled.

"Break a leg!" Cristina said.

"Make us proud!" Meredith piped in.

April climbed on the bus and walked towards her seat; she settled herself near the window and waived to her friends.

The five remaining surgeon's watched the bus move and drive out of the hospital's drive way. Owen was the first to speak; "She'll do fine, she's ready."

Jackson shoved his hands inside his pockets and smiled; "She is"

Meredith looped her arm with Alex's and Cristina's; "Come on guys, let's have coffee" she said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**April's Boards: Second day (Tuesday):**

April was drinking club soda on the bar when she heard her name being called; she turned to her right and smiled when she recognized who's walking towards her.

"April baby, you made it!"

"I did, it's nice finally seeing you Dr. Avery" April replied.

Catherine pulled the Trauma surgeon into a tight hug; after a few seconds she pulled away and cupped April's face into her palms. "What did I tell you about calling me Catherine?" she chided.

April cringed; "I'm sorry, I always forget" she replied.

Catherine rolled her eyes at her response before tilting April's face side to side; "You look good baby, much better than the last time I saw you. How are you?" she asked as she pulls her hands away.

April smiled; "I'm good"

Catherine pulled the chair next to the red head and sat herself down. "How was your first two sessions?" she asked with a smile.

April chuckled nervously; "It was not what I expected but I feel good about my answers."

Catherine chuckled; "They changed the format a little bit this year so I'm pretty sure you were surprised but that's good to hear, I'm sure you'll ace it this year baby."

"I sure hope so, I don't know what I'll do if I flunk it again."

Catherine leaned forward and squeezed the young surgeon's hand comfortingly; "You will pass it so don't think about that silly possibility" she said.

April squeezed back; "Thank you" she said sincerely.

Catherine smiled back before hopping off her chair; she then straightened her dress and fixed her coat. "Well, I better go baby. As much as I want to catch up with you I can't, they may change the game a bit but they decided to keep the stupid rules."

April laughed; "Something's are meant to be the same" she said.

"I know. What time is your plane leaving?"

"9 P.M. but my shuttle leaves at 5:30"

Catherine pursed her lips while in thought; "Do you really have to be in that shuttle?" she asked.

"Err—not really, it's easier than getting a cab"

Catherine smirked; "Let's have an early dinner to celebrate your boards then I'll take you to the Airport"

"But I haven't passed yet and I'm sure that you have better things to do and I-"

"Oh hush! You will pass this damn boards baby and I'm not taking no for an answer. So, just text me after your last session then we'll go from there, okay?"

April let out a defeated sigh before smiling; "Okay, I'll see you later" she said.

Catherine leaned forward and patted April's cheek fondly; "I'll see you later baby and good luck!" she said before walking away.

April watched Jackson's mother saunter away before turning towards the bar again; she grasped her glass with her hands and sighed. "You can do this, you are a soldier" she said to herself.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"How do you think is Kepner doing?" Alex asked the three surgeons sitting around the table inside the cafeteria.

"I'm hoping that she's not having a meltdown" Cristina replied. She then turned towards Jackson as she bites her carrot stick; "Did she give you an update or something?" she asked.

Jackson stopped pushing the food on his plate and turned his gaze towards Cristina; "Nope, not a single text from her" he replied.

Meredith, noticing Jackson's sulky mood decided to lighten up the conversation; "I'm sure April is just busy and she's doing fine" she offered while throwing Alex a look.

Alex, understanding Mer's look just nodded in agreement; "Yeah, we all how long those stupid sessions can get" he appeased.

Cristina perceived what her two friends were doing so she decided to cut the Plastics Attending a slack; she cleared her throat and moved her gaze towards Alex. "So, have you decided if you'll be going?"

Alex pursed his lips as he leans back on his chair; "Robbins won't back off, she's been hounding me for weeks and threatened to pull me out of her cases if I don't go" he complained.

Meredith chuckled; "She can be pushy if she wants to"

Alex rolled his eyes; "I'm not a push over"

Cristina smirked; "You're definitely not a push over evil spawn but its Robbins we're talking about here" she jibbed.

Alex scrunched his face with distaste; "I should've been in that damn plane"

Meredith rolled her eyes; "And that will make a huge difference" she said sarcastically.

Alex eyed his old friend and sighed; "I'm sorry, I'm being an ass" he said.

Jackson cleared his throat; "Are you going Yang?" he asked.

Cristina puffed out a breath; "I want-there are factors to consider" she corrected herself while eyeing Meredith.

Meredith averted her gaze and began prodding the chicken on her plate.

"You're in an impasse then," Jackson said with a sigh.

Cristina nodded; "I guess"

Alex leaned forward and braised his elbows on top of the table; "Does it have to be a year? I mean, 6 months can do the trick. It's not as if Mass Gen is practicing a different kind of medicine"

"Well, Mass Gen wants, Mass Gen gets apparently" Jackson said bitterly.

Alex frowned; "I don't get the hype with that hospital. We also have an impressive roster of doctors here, that exchange program is full of crap" he said.

Jackson nodded in agreement; "I'm with you man" he replied.

Cristina rolled her eyes while Meredith continues prodding her food.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was doing routine post op with one his patients when his phone rang; he turned towards his intern as he pulls it out of his pocket. "Make sure to update his charts before you leave, I have to get this" he said.

"Will do, Dr. Avery" Shane replied.

Jackson nodded before stepping out of the patient's room; he tapped on the screen and moved it to his ears. "Hey Mom,"

"Hi baby, how are you?"

"I'm in the middle of my post ops, what do you want?" Jackson asked bluntly.

"I'm sorry to disturb you baby, I just wanted to call to tell you that I'm having dinner with April"

Jackson frowned; he then walked towards the nearest supply closet and shut himself in. "Why are you having dinner with April? Are you hovering over her? Leave her be for goodness sake, she's taking her boards and she doesn't need any distraction or meddling!"

"Oh hush! I'm not meddling or anything. I'll just take her to dinner to celebrate her boards and nothing more."

Jackson felt his body relax; he then leaned back on the closed door and cleared his throat. "Do you have any idea how she's doing?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't heard anything from my colleagues about a failing surgeon from SGMW so I think all is well. She'll pass baby, don't worry about it"

Jackson sighed; "I'm just worried about her, she was so nervous when she left and she hasn't called or texted any of us" he replied.

"They changed the format of the sessions this year so April doesn't have much time to spare. But I'm sure once her last session is over, you'll hear from her"

"Oh okay, how is she by the way?" Jackson asked.

"I saw her at the bar just a couple of hours ago, she looks great and relaxed"

Jackson furrowed his brows; "What do you mean at the bar? Is she drinking alcohol? She can't drink alcohol yet, is she alone?" he asked simultaneously.

"Calm down son, she was not drinking alcohol, just club soda. And I'm pretty sure April knows that she can't drink alcohol yet"

"Who is she drinking with?"

"She was drinking alone when I found her, what's with these questions?"

Jackson let out a relieved sigh; "Err—nothing. So, are you having dinner?" he asked changing the topic.

"Yes we are. I offered to take her to the Airport after so she doesn't have to ride that hideous shuttle your hospital rented."

Jackson chuckled; "The shuttle is not hideous, you're over-reacting again."

"It's hideous! Why on earth would you choose a yellow school bus to drive your doctors from the Airport to the hotel? I taught you better than that!"

Jackson shook his head in amusement; "It's cost efficient and the Airport is what, 15 minutes away from the hotel. I'm sure our doctors would prefer us to spend the extra budget on something worthwhile rather than throwing it into frivolous things."

"I still hate that bus! It's so awful!"

Jackson laughed; "You're not riding it, so give it a rest" he snickered.

"Fine but I'm not letting my future daughter in law ride such a cheap ride just because my son is being stingy!"

Jackson's laughter died upon hearing his mother's words; he tried to open his mouth to speak but no word seems to come out of his lips.

"It was nice talking to you baby, I'll see you soon, I love you!"

Jackson's jaw slackened upon hearing the familiar click of a call being disconnected; he felt blood rush to his cheeks as he digests what his mother just implied. He slowly pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at its screen; "Did she just hang up on me? What the fuck?" he said in disbelief.

"Whoa! Calm it down Avery"

Jackson's head snapped sideways and stared at the room's new occupant; "How long have you been there?"

Callie pulled a couple of cast materials before answering; "Long enough to hear you yell at your phone" she replied.

Jackson narrowed his eyes; "So you just got here?" he asked, suspicion clearly evident in his voice.

Callie rolled her eyes; "I'm not eavesdropping if that's what you're thinking. But let me give you a piece of advice here, if you want to have a private conversation with someone on the phone, just hit the rooftop, you'll get more privacy there."

Jackson shoved his phone inside his lab coat pocket and nodded; "I'll keep that in mind, thank you" he replied.

Callie nodded; "No problem" she said before turning on her heels and leaving the room.

oOo

April entered her suite with a large smile pasted on her face; she just finished her last session and she felt positive about it. She trotted towards her bed and plopped down; "It's done, I'm finally done!" she said happily. She then turned towards her side and shifted closer to the side table; she pulled the drawer open and fished out her phone. She unlocked the screen and began browsing through her phonebook; her finger paused at a familiar number and almost instantly her heart started beating erratically. She bit her bottom lip while contemplating but before she was able to decide, her phone vibrated, signalling an incoming text. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before tapping on the screen again; she clicked on the messaging app and felt her breath hitch when she read the message.

"_**Hey, I just want to check how you're doing. I hope you rocked the boards just like how we planned. Don't freak out, I know you'll pass. Let me know if you need anything. –Jackman"**_

April stared at the screen and read the message multiple times; she then took a deep calming breath before she tapped on the name and hitting the call button. She shifted the phone to her ear and waited for the call to connect; the line gave out a familiar ringing sound as she bit her bottom lip harder.

"Hey"

April felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing the familiar voice; she cleared her throat before speaking. "Hey"

"Everything okay?"

April moved her other hand to the comforter and began straightening the creases; "Yep, I just called to tell you that my last session is finished" she replied.

"That's good. How are you? You feeling okay?"

April felt a little smile slip to her lips; "I'm great, it was great."

"You were great I'm sure. What time will you be flying out?"

"My flight leaves at 9 P.M" April replied. She then stilled her other hand upon remembering her earlier conversation with the renowned Urologist; "Oh, I just saw your Mom earlier and she asked me to dinner."

"I know, she called me a couple of hours ago to let me know. You don't have to though, I can call her up and make excuses for you."

April chuckled; "Yeah, as if she'll listen to you. She pretty much didn't give me a chance to think about it, she offered me a ride to the Airport, how can I say no to that."

"You don't need a ride, you have shuttle services."

April huffed; "I can't believe you hired a yellow school bus to drive us around town. Our shuttle services last year looks much better, are you being stingy now?"

"Is it that awful?"

April giggled; "It's horrible! Did you even see it?"

"Err-through pictures?"

"Don't trust the pictures next time, their deceiving" April replied, laughter still evident from her voice.

"My mom was not over reacting then, she gave me an earful when she called me. She even told me that she taught me better than that and I'm being stingy"

April just laughed.

"It was not my decision alone, it was Hunt who overlooked the transportation, he just made me sign."

April stifled her laughter and cleared her throat; "Well, you should tell Hunt that it was a horrible idea. I'll even take a picture and show it to him when I get back tomorrow" she said.

"Do that."

"Well I have to cut this short, I still need to prepare my things."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye Jackman!" April chirped.

"Don't freak out okay? You'll pass"

April smiled; "I won't and I'll call you if I fail so you can freak out with me" she joked.

"You're not gonna fail, have a little faith in yourself. And do call me once the results are in, so we can celebrate."

April bit her bottom lip; "You might be sleeping by the time I see the results"

"Nope, I'm on call tonight."

"Oh okay. Alright, I'll call you either way."

"Have fun and don't let my mother have her way with you too much, okay?"

April chuckled; "I can handle your mom Jackman and Catherine is not that bad"

"Say's you."

April rolled her eyes; "Whatever. I'll talk to you later, bye!"

"Bye"

April pulled the phone away from her ear and disconnected the line; she let out a huge smile before collapsing on her bed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"You seem to be in a good mood, what gives?" Cristina asked as she saunters inside the Attendings' Lounge.

Jackson leaned back on the couch and smiled; "I just spoke with April and she just told me that her last session was over and she's feeling positive about it."

Cristina walked toward the ref and pulled it open; she leaned forward and plucked a bottle of grape juice. "That's good to hear, what time is her flight?"

"9 P.M." Jackson replied.

Cristina uncapped her bottle and turned her eyes towards the wall clock; "Looks like she'll be waiting for a long time, she still has 5 hours to spare"

Jackson stood up from the couch and gathered his lab coat from the coffee table; "She'll have dinner with my mother, I'm pretty sure that'll take care of her idle time" he replied.

Cristina eyed the Plastic Surgeon with interest before taking a sip of her drink.

Jackson turned towards Cristina and saw her eyeing him; "What?" he asked.

"Does Kepner hang out with your Mom a lot?"

Jackson narrowed his eyes; "Yeah, why?" he asked.

Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "Nothing, just curious" she replied.

Jackson eyed the Cardio Attending intently before deciding that it's not worth talking about; he shrugged on his lab coat and began walking towards the door. "See you later Yang" he said before stepping out.

Cristina watched the door closed before smiling widely; "Momma Avery will definitely pump up this wager"

* * *

oOo

* * *

April exited the elevator and made her way to the lobby; she wheeled her luggage behind her as tries to search for one of her colleagues. She stopped right in front of the reception desk and leaned forward; "Hi, I just want to know if Dr. Avery already checked out."

The receptionist lifted her gaze from the computer and smiled the Trauma Surgeon; "I'll go ahead and check for you, just one moment please" she said politely.

"Thank you" April replied. She then turned her gaze towards the sitting area, trying to spot a familiar face.

"Ma'am, Dr. Avery has not checked out yet but she should any minute now."

April turned her gaze back at the receptionist and smiled; "Thank you" she replied.

"Dr. Kepner? The shuttle is already loading luggage's'"

April turned towards her right and saw one of her colleagues; "Hi Dr. Anderson, you're just the person I want to see" she said cheerily.

Dr. Anderson raised his brow and stared at his colleague; "Err-why?" he asked.

"I'm not riding the shuttle to the Airport, I've got dinner with someone before we fly out. I need you to take off my name from the list" April explained.

Dr. Anderson furrowed his brows; "But the protocol says that all surgeons should ride the bus" he said.

"It's okay, I already spoke with Dr. Avery about this and he gave me a go signal" April replied.

"Oh."

April smiled shyly; "I'm sorry to cause you inconvenience but I really can't bail on this one, I would if I could" she said apologetically.

Dr. Anderson waived his hand dismissively; "It's okay, just be sure to check in 3 hours before the flight."

April nodded; "I will. Thank you!" she chirped.

Dr. Anderson smiled; "I'll see you then, have a good dinner" he said before walking away.

"Will do, be safe!" April hollered.

Dr. Anderson didn't turn around but waived his hand.

April then turned towards the receptionist again; "Err—excuse me?"

The receptionist turned towards her again; "Is there anything else Ma'am?"

April wheeled her luggage right in front of the desk; "I'm really sorry to ask you this but can you watch my luggage for just 5 minutes? I really need to go to our bus to do something and it would only slow me down if I wheel this along with me" she said.

The receptionist smiled as she stood up from her chair; "No problem Ma'am. Let me just get it from there and I'll keep it for you until you come back."

April smiled widely; "You are a life saver" she replied.

The receptionist shifted away from her desk and met April at the side; she grabbed the handle away from April and wheeled it towards her chair. "There you go" she said.

"Thank you! I'll be back in 5 minutes" April said as she made a bee line towards the exit.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Catherine Avery sauntered towards the reception desk and dangled her keys with her fingers; "Hi there, I'm checking out" she said.

The receptionist turned her gaze and smiled; she accepted the keys and turned her gaze towards her computer. "Ah, here we are. Dr. Catherine Avery?"

"The one and only" Catherine replied.

The receptionist punched a couple of keys from the keyboard before lifting her gaze again; "All done. Thank you for staying in our hotel, I hope we made it worth your while"

Catherine chuckled; "It was a fun stay dear. Oh, would you happen to know if Dr. Kepner already checked out?" she asked.

The receptionist smiled; "Let me check that for you."

"Thank you"

"Yes Ma'am, Dr. Kepner already checked out 5 minutes ago" The receptionist said. She then scrunched her face, trying to remember something, after a couple of seconds a look of understanding dawned on her face. "Err-Ma'am, is Dr. Kepner a red head? I mean, does she have long auburn hair and she's petite?"

Catherine nodded; "Yes, that's her, why?" she asked.

"She's been here a couple of minutes ago, looking for you. She just stepped out because she told me that she need to run a quick errand but she'll be back in 5 minutes, she actually left her luggage with me" The receptionist said while gesturing towards the bright pink luggage beside her.

"Oh, I see, I guess I'll just wait for her here then" Catherine said.

The receptionist nodded; "Okay" she replied.

"Dr. Avery! I'm so sorry you had to wait for me, did you wait long?" April said as she approached her best friend's mother.

Catherine turned around and fixed the red head with a stern gaze; "Dr. Avery? Really April? How many times do I have to tell you to call me Catherine?" she chided.

April felt her cheeks flush as she moved closer; "I'm sorry I always forget" she said.

Catherine rolled her eyes; "I think the anaesthesia they used on you muddled your memory a bit" she teased.

April wrinkled her nose; "I think so too"

"Where have you been baby? The receptionist told me you had to run a errand"

April grinned; "I took a picture of our bus" she replied.

Catherine's face morphed into a look of distaste; "Why do you need a picture of that hideous bus?" she asked.

April giggled; "I had to show Jackson what it really looks like. He told me a while ago that the picture on the brochure doesn't look bad so I had to take one for myself to prove us right" she said.

"Did Jackson call you?" Catherine asked with a sly smirk painted on her lips.

April chuckled nervously as she quickly averted her gaze; "Err—I called him a while ago because he texted me, no biggie, we just talked for like 5 minutes" she babbled.

"Okay dear, if you say so. Now, are you ready to have dinner?"

April moved her gaze back to Catherine and nodded; "Yep, I'm starving" she replied.

Catherine chuckled; "I bet you are, you're too skinny. Now, grab your luggage and follow me to the car" she said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Dr. Avery?"

Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and turned towards the door; "Yes, Ross?"

"I already did all your post ops and updated the charts. Is there anything else you need me to do?" Shane asked nervously.

Jackson took a peek at the wall clock near the door before turning his gaze back to his intern; "No, that would be it. You can go home now and thank you" he said.

Shane nodded; "Alright Sir, have a good night" he said before stepping out.

Jackson watched his intern scurry away from the room before moving his eyes back to his tab; he was about to continue with his scheduling when he heard a faint knock on the door.

"You going home or you're on call tonight?"

Jackson turned towards the door again and made a face; "Unfortunately I'm on call tonight, how about you?"

Alex leaned on the door frame and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "I'm on call, AGAIN, fourth time this week. Robbins is killing me" he huffed.

Jackson chuckled; "Mass Gen crap?" he asked.

Alex frowned; "Mass Gen sucks!" he said.

Jackson leaned back on his chair while shaking his head; "April called me a couple of hours ago" he said.

"Oh really? Is she having an epic meltdown?" Alex asked.

Jackson smiled; "Nope, she's quite confident this time" he replied.

Alex smiled; "Good to hear. What time will she be flying back?"

"9 P.M"

Alex nodded; "Don't worry, she'll pass" he assured.

Jackson nodded; "She will," he replied.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"So tell me baby, what's new with you?" Catherine asked as she sipped her martini.

April placed her fork down and swallowed; "Nothing much really. Chief Hunt is still barring me from surgeries so it's admin work for me for now" she replied.

Catherine nodded in approval; "Well, you can't run yourself ragged yet. You shouldn't be working yet, you know."

April made a face; "I'm fine, my incision is healing well. I can do minor surgical procedures but Chief Hunt banned me from the Trauma Rooms" she complained.

Catherine chuckled; "I'm sure you can, but sometimes we have to rest our body well to properly heal" she then paused. "What on earth did you do that got you banned?" she asked with interest.

April pursed her lips; "He's over reacting, it's not as if I bled to death or something"

Catherine raised her brow, urging the young surgeon to tell her more.

April saw Catherine's inquisitive look so she continued; "It was stupid but I sort of hauled a 200 lbs man to his side. But it was an emergency! And Dr. Edwards was panicking and she can't turn the patient to his side so I had to step in. I mean, I can't let the man die just because my intern can't do what needs to be done" she explained.

Catherine shook her head; "Oh sweetie, you know you can't lift heavy things yet. Hunt made the right call then, you've earned it" she said.

April pouted; "I know, it's just hard not to rush into these things, I mean, I'm a Trauma Surgeon after all."

Catherine smiled; "And you are brilliant with what you do but you have to take it slow" she said.

April nodded; "Thank you and I'll keep that in mind" she said.

Catherine then took a sip of her drink; "I heard Mass Gen is doing an exchange program and some birdy told me that you're a prospective candidate..." she trailed off.

"Oh" April gasped, she was caught completely off guard.

Catherine eyed the young surgeon; "Are you going then?" she asked.

April swallowed hard before sitting straighter; "Err—I haven't decided yet, I mean, I haven't passed my boards yet" she replied.

"You will pass your board's baby, that's why I'm asking. Now tell Momma Avery, do you plan on going?"

April bit her bottom lip; "I want to but there are factors to consider..."

Catherine leaned back on her chair; "Is my son a factor?" she asked bluntly.

April's eyes widen in shock while her mouth slackened.

Catherine noticing the young surgeon's comical expression chuckled; "Well, it just makes sense. He is your best friend and it's Mass Gen, I'm quite sure he threw a fit upon hearing it."

April closed her mouth and swallowed hard; "Did you know about this?" she asked.

Catherine clasped her hands together and shifted it under her chin; "I know this would come as a surprise because I always seem to meddle but I didn't, I was just informed after Dr. Kurt made the call."

"Oh"

Catherine wrinkled her nose; "Let me guess, Jackson thought it was my idea?" she asked.

April cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. She took a deep breath before nodding; "He did..."

Catherine let out a defeated sigh; "He always seems to think of the worst of me" she said.

April's face softened; "He does not, he's just being petulant about it but we already talked and he doesn't blame you."

"Really?"

April smiled; "Yep, he may still bitch about it though," she said thoughtfully.

Catherine chuckled; "I can deal with his whining he's always been a whinny baby" she said.

April laughed; "Don't let him hear you say that."

Catherine laughed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hey Shane!" Jo greeted.

"Hey" Shane replied as he walks towards the Locker Area. He stopped right in front of his cubby and pulled it open; "You done for the night?" he asked.

Jo lifted her legs on top of the bench and yawned; "Yep, how about you?"

"Yep, Dr. Avery seems to be in a good mood so he sent me home" Shane replied.

Jo scrunched her face; "Is he ever in a good mood?"

Shane chuckled as he pulls his scrubs top off; "Believe it or not, he is"

"Good for you then"

Shane pulled his shirt on before turning towards Jo; "Have you seen Steph? I feel like I haven't seen her since last week" he said.

Jo braised her hands behind her and tried her best to recline without falling off the bench; "She's been around, running along Bailey's service" she replied.

Shane nodded; "That explains" he said.

"Did you know?"

Shane raised his brow; "Did I know what?"

"That Steph and Dr. Pretty eyes broke up?"

Shane's eyes widen in shock; "They what?"

Jo nodded solemnly; "Steph broke up with him last week because Dr. Pretty eyes weren't able to answer when she asked him if he's in love with her" she explained.

"Oh"

"He's such a douche! I know he's our Attending and he practically owns the hospital but he's still an asshole!"

Shane crossed his arms on top of his chest; "It's not that I'm siding with Dr. Pretty eyes or anything but Stephanie had it coming. I mean, everyone knows that he's not serious and it's just about casual sex and all..."

Jo bit her lip; "I know but our girl got attached, I already told her multiple times that she's not that type of girl. I mean, Heather and Leah can do casual but not her, she's stubborn and she's too caught up with those pretty hypnotizing eyes" she said.

Shane chuckled; "What's with the eyes, all the women here are practically drooling over it" he said.

Jo smirked; "It's pretty, it's a cross between blue and green and it changes depending on his mood apparently."

Shane raised his brow; "And you're not caught up with it?"

Jo laughed; "Nope, he's too much of a douche to change my mind"

Shane laughed; "Yeah and Dr. Karev is not" he said.

Jo's laughter automatically died down upon hearing the Ped's Attending name; she then frowned and sat straight. "Don't go there" she said.

Shane rolled his eyes; "Whatever. I'm heading to Joe's want to come?" he asked.

Jo stood up from her perch and moved towards her own cubby; "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

oOo

* * *

"We're here!" Catherine announced happily.

April wheeled her luggage right in front of her knees and braised her hands on the handle; "Yep, time to go home" she chirped.

Catherine smiled; "You excited?" she asked.

April nodded; "I am, I miss my bed and I can't wait to take a bath" she replied.

Catherine chuckled; she then moved towards the younger surgeon and pulled her into a tight hug. "It was nice seeing you baby"

April removed her hands away from her luggage and hugged the old surgeon back; "It was nice seeing you too, thank you for the wonderful dinner" she whispered.

Catherine pulled away and gently placed her hand on April's cheek; "Don't worry too much about your boards, I'm sure you passed and thank you for spending time with an old woman" she said.

April smiled fondly; "You're not an old woman and it's always fun spending time with you" she said sincerely.

Catherine smiled widely before pinching April's cheek; "You're so sweet, you take care of yourself and take care of my baby for me" she said.

April's smile faltered; "Err—I'll try my best" she replied.

"Go, you have to check in now" Catherine said.

April nodded; "Okay, have a safe flight and I'll see you soon!" she said.

"Have a safe flight baby! See you soon, give my baby boy my kisses!" Catherine said while waiving.

April choked before letting out an awkward waive; "Bye!" she said before she spun on her heels.

Catherine watched the young surgeon's reaction before bursting into fits of giggles; "Oh dear, you are so easy to wind up" she said while shaking her head.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was eating chips on top of the E.R. bed when Jackson walked in; "I can't get any decent food here. I want pizza" he said.

Jackson moved towards the bed and plopped down beside his friend; he snatched the bag from Alex's hand and shoved his hand inside.

"Hey!"

Jackson ignored Alex's protest and grasped a handful; he then stuffed the chips into his mouth and started chewing with vigour.

Alex snatched the chips bag from the other Attending and shoved his own hand inside; "Get your own"

Jackson braised his hands behind him as he reclines on his back; "I'm too tired to walk and I want pizza too" he said.

Alex's face brightened when an idea hit him; "We can get the interns buy us food, where are they?" he asked as he scans the room.

Jackson yawned; "I sent mine home, use yours."

Alex made a face; "I sent mine home too" he replied.

Jackson sighed; "Great! Now we'll both die of starvation because we're too lazy to get our ass moving" he said.

Alex laughed.

"What are you guys yapping about?"

Jackson moved his head sideways and saw Cristina standing a couple of beds away from them; "We're hungry but we're too lazy to move" he said wryly.

Cristina rolled her eyes as she walks towards her friend's; "Get your intern's to get you food then" she suggested.

Alex scoffed; "We would've but we already sent them home"

Cristina plopped down at the foot of the bed and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "That's smart" she jibed.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "You're on call too?" he asked.

Cristina sighed; "My patient just coded a couple of hours ago so I opted to stay" she replied.

Alex nodded; "Good call" he said.

The E.R. doors burst open as a flock of doctors sauntered in; Cristina stared at the commotion before turning her gaze towards Jackson. "What's going on?" she asked.

Jackson eyed the scurrying doctors and yawned; "Board takers just arrived" he replied.

Cristina hopped off the bed and grinned; "Then why are we just sitting there? Let's go find Kepner!" she said excitedly.

Jackson shook his head; "She's not in that bus"

Alex moved head sideways and stared at his friend confusedly; "What do you mean Kepner's not there?" he asked.

Jackson yawned again; "She texted me a couple of minutes ago telling me that she'll head home to rest, the flight exhausted her apparently."

Cristina scoffed; "She just wants to check her results alone!"

Alex snickered; "Or she just doesn't want us to witness her crazies"

Jackson shook his head as he stood up; "She's just tired guys, cut her some slack" he said before walking away.

Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest as she studies the retreating surgeon with interest; "Mer, told me that you changed you bet, what gives?"

Alex smirked; "Nothing, I just want a little challenge is all" he replied.

Cristina narrowed her eyes at the Ped's Attending; "You know something, spill it!"

Alex stood up from his perch and began walking away; "I don't know anything, you're crazy!" he replied.

Cristina huffed; "I'll eventually find out Alex so you better tell me now!" she demanded.

Alex chuckled as he waives his hand; "No heckling Yang! Mer's rules, not mine!"

* * *

oOo

* * *

April arrived at her apartment an hour ago but she just can't seem to relax; she's been pacing for 30 minutes now and she knows that it's pathetic. Her phone buzzed five minutes ago signalling an incoming message but she just can't make herself read it. She shook her head while rolling her shoulders; she then jumped a couple of times before walking towards her breakfast bar. "Come on Kepner, suck it up! It's either you pass or you go home to Ohio and start working for Tastee Freez!" she said loudly. She then shifted closer and plucked the phone with her shaking hands; slowly, she unlocked the screen and felt her face pale when she saw that it's her board results. She closed her eyes tightly before taking a deep calming breath; she then opened her eyes and tapped on the screen. She read each word with full focus and scrolled down at a snail pace; once she reached the last few sentences she felt her breath hitch in her throat. "Oh god!" she gasped. Her eyes widen as a large smiled crept towards her lips; she hugged the phone to her chest as she jumps up and down. "I passed! I freaking passed!" she yelled triumphantly. After a couple of second's she pulled the phone away from her chest and started browsing through her phonebook excitedly; she searched for Jackson's number and pressed the call button without thinking twice.

Jackson was dozing off in his chair when his phone vibrated; he wrinkled his nose and pulled the offending device from his pocket. He didn't bother to check whose calling before moving it to his ear; "Hello" he greeted groggily.

"I PASSED JACKMAN! I FREAKING PASSED!"

Jackson's eyes widen when he heard April's familiar voice; he struggled to sit up but it was too late to realize that he had his feet on top of the table so before he can respond to her squeals of joy he toppled over.

April paused when she heard a loud thump on the other line; "Jackson?" she called out.

Jackson floundered on the floor before he was able to find his bearings; he grasped the table with his other hand and pushed himself up. "Err—sorry about that. Congratulations!"

"What happened to you?" April asked worriedly.

Jackson cringed when he touched his left shoulder; "Ouch" he yelped, forgetting that he's not on mute.

"Jackson? Are you alright?"

Jackson cleared his throat before sitting down on his chair; "Yeah, just had a fall there, bad shoulder, but I'm okay" he said.

"Why did you fall? What on earth are you doing?" April asked.

Jackson chuckled; "I was actually dozing off when you called and I guess I was startled" he said.

April chuckled; "I'm sorry! I just had to call you to let you know! I freaking passed!" she said happily.

Jackson smiled; "I asked you to call. Wow, you finally have you what you want, I'm happy for you" he said sincerely.

"I don't have to work for Tastee Freez!"

Jackson rolled his eyes; "Why would you work there? You're still a doctor, board passer or not" he said.

April chortled; "My pride can only take so much" she quipped.

Jackson laughed.

April's laughter died down after a couple of seconds.

"April?"

"I'm still here"

Jackson leaned back on his chair; "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" he asked.

April cleared her throat; "Flunking my boards the first time wasn't your fault, it was all me..."

Jackson sighed; "Come on, it was my fault I—"

"Stop right there" April interrupted. "Whatever happened that night was not premeditated; I know I acted like full crazy on you after but let me be clear about it, I don't regret it and I'll never regret it..."

"April-"

"No, I'm not saying this because I already passed this time; I'm saying it now because it's the truth. It was unfair of me to put all the blame on you when I'm the one who messed up. Come on Jackman, you weren't the one answering their questions, it was me. So, whatever happened inside the exam room, it was all me and it has nothing to do about you"

Jackson took a deep breath.

April chuckled; "Don't sound so dejected, be happy with me, it's a happy time after all."

Jackson smiled; "Fine. Happy times now, so we'll be happy" he agreed.

April smiled; "I'm so hyped up I don't think I can sleep, do you need extra hands there?"

Jackson chuckled; "No we don't. You should rest and come in bright and early tomorrow" he said.

April pursed her lips; "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not sleepy and all"

"Nope, stay there and rest. Celebrate; you just passed your board's you don't need to work."

"I can bring pizza?"

Jackson groaned; "And you just have to say that!"

April laughed; "I'll be there in 30 and I'll bring pizza. Round the big happy dysfunctional family up, whoever is on call" she chirped.

"There's no stopping you, right?"

"I can throw a cup of Cafe Mocha"

Jackson groaned again; "Fine. But you're not working, we'll eat then you go home" he relented.

"Who else is on call?" April asked happily.

"Karev and Yang"

"Okay, I'll just call the pizza place and have it delivered there, see you in a bit" April said.

"Drive safely, see you" Jackson said.

"Bye!" April chirped before disconnecting the line.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Karev!"

Alex turned his head sideways and stared at Jackson; "What?" he asked with a scowl.

Jackson smiled widely; "April passed!" he announced.

Alex's face softened as a smile slowly edged up his lips; "I told you she will crush it!" he said while patting the other surgeon's shoulder.

Jackson winced.

Alex furrowed his brows; "What's wrong? Does your shoulder hurt?" he asked.

Jackson rolled his left shoulder and began rubbing it with his right hand; "Yeah, it's a little bit sore" he replied.

"You should have Torres check that" Alex said.

Jackson nodded; "I will" he replied. He then lowered his other hand and shoved it inside his pocket; "She's on her way here, she's bringing pizza, you still hungry?"

Alex moved his eyes towards the wall clock before raising his brow; "It's half passed 1 A.M." he said.

Jackson smiled; "Apparently she's so happy so she can't sleep, she wants to celebrate with us" he replied.

Alex smiled; "I can imagine"

"Hey guys!"

Jackson's head snapped towards the perky voice; "There she is" he said with a large grin.

April skipped towards her friends and gently placed the coffee cups on top of the nurses' station; "Here you go!" she chirped.

"I just heard, congratulations Kepner!" Alex said before pulling the Trauma Surgeon into a very uncharacteristic hug.

April chuckled as she patted the Ped's Surgeon's back; "Thank you! I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you guys!" she gushed.

Alex rolled his eyes as he pulls away; "Whatever" he replied.

April chortled; "I bought you guys coffee, where is Yang? Is the pizza here already?" she asked.

Jackson leaned towards the desk and began sorting the coffee; "We haven't paged her yet and nope, pizza is not here" he replied.

Alex leaned forward and grabbed the phone from the cradle; "I'll page her" he offered.

"Do you guys know if anyone is on call aside from you three?" April asked.

Jackson shook his head; "Nope, Grey went home with Shepherd and I saw Torres leave with Robbins, so it's just us three" he replied.

"How about the interns?" April asked.

"We sent them home, they're pretty much pathetic during night shifts" Alex replied as he put the phone back on the cradle.

"_**Dr. Kepner, please proceed to the main lobby, Thank you!"**_

Alex frowned; "Did you just get paged?" he asked confusedly.

April nodded; "Yep, pizza is here! I'll go ahead and get that, you stay here and wait for Cristina" she said before trotting away.

Jackson nodded as he takes a sip of his coffee.

Alex grabbed a cup from the desk and took a sip; "Only Kepner will have a pizza guy page her" he said.

Jackson chuckled; "Well, you know her" he replied.

Alex snickered; "Kepner and her crazies!"

Jackson rolled his eyes.

After a couple of seconds of companionable silence, the door to the E.R. burst open as Cristina strolled in. She made her way towards the nurses' station and stood before her friends. "Is it me or the P.A. system just paged Kepner?" she asked.

Alex took a sip of his latte before replying; "It's Kepner, she's here. She wants to celebrate with us and she had the pizza guy page her" he supplied.

Cristina smiled widely; "She passed?" she asked.

"She did" Jackson replied.

"Alright Kepner!" Cristina said.

Jackson plucked a cup from the desk and handed it Cristina; "She bought you coffee too" he said.

Cristina's eyes widen; "Did you guys drag her all the way here to buy you coffee?" she asked aghast.

Jackson shook his head; "Nope, I told her to stay at home but she insisted that she's all hyped up and cannot sleep."

Cristina accepted the cup and smiled; "I love hyped up Kepner" she said.

The E.R. doors slammed opened as April stepped in; she had a huge box of pizza in her hands accompanied by a big smile on her face. "I hope you guys are hungry" she chirped.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**The next day:**

"Before we wrap up this meeting let us clap our hands to our new board certified first year Attending, Dr. April Kepner" Owen said proudly as he began to clap.

The room erupted with thunderous sounds of clapping and whistling.

April felt her cheeks flush as her colleagues greeted her; "Thank you guys" she said shyly.

Derek shifted closer and patted April on the back; "You deserve it Kepner, congratulations!" he said jovially.

Meredith followed his husband's lead and stood up from her chair; she moved towards the Trauma Surgeon and pulled her into a hug; "You made it! Congrats!" she said.

April laughed as she returned the hug; "Thank you Mer, I wouldn't have done it without you guys!"

Meredith pulled away and patted April's hand; "Oh hush, it's all you"

April grinned widely.

Owen smiled proudly before clearing his throat; "Now settle down guys, this meeting is adjourned!" he said.

The other Attendings' stood up from their chairs and exited the room one by one; April gathered her stuff from the table and pushed away from the table.

"Kepner, I need to talk to you for a minute" Owen said.

"Oh" April said. She then leaned back on her chair and stared at her mentor expectantly.

Owen sat down on his chair and clasped his hands on top of the table; "How are you feeling?" he asked.

April smiled; "Awesome"

Owen chuckled; "You did good Kepner, I'm so proud of you" he said.

"Thank you Chief"

Owen leaned back on his chair; "Now that you're already a board certified surgeon, there are things that we need to talk about."

April nodded; "I'm aware"

"So, have you already thought about Mass Gen?"

April cringed; "Err—I'm still thinking about it..."

Owen crossed his arms on top of his chest; "I don't want to rush you but I need your answer before the week ends" he said.

April puffed out air before nodding; "And an answer you shall receive" she replied.

Owen smiled; "Since we already got that out the way, you may go" he dismissed.

April pushed away from the table and stood up; she gathered her stuff in her arms before shifting away from the table. "Err-Chief?"

"Yes?"

"Am I allowed the Trauma Room?" April asked.

Owen smiled; "Yes you're allowed but no lifting and you're still barred from the O.R." he reminded her.

April smiled widely; "Thank you Chief!" she chirped before spinning on her heel and exiting the room.

Owen watched his student leave before shaking his head in amusement.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Have you heard? Dr. Kepner passed her boards!" Shane said excitedly.

Leah rolled her eyes; "The whole hospital knows Ross, what are you so excited about? She's still "The Dud"" she replied.

Shane made a face; "She is not "The Dud", you haven't been under her service yet so you clearly don't know what you're saying" he said.

"Kepner can be bad ass Leah, you should see her in action" Heather said.

Leah slung her stethoscope around her neck; "Whatever" she said before leaving.

"What crawled up her ass and died?" Shane asked.

"She's under _Medusa's _service today, that's why" Heather replied.

"Oh" Shane replied.

Heather finished lacing her sneakers so she stood up from the bench; she grabbed her lab coat from her locker and shrugged it on. "Who do you have today?"

Shane closed his locker door and turned to face the other intern; "I'm still under Avery" he replied.

Heather wrinkled her nose; "Good luck with that" she said.

Shane chuckled; "He's in a better mood lately so, my _Avery Trauma _is not triggered yet. Who do you have?" he asked.

"I'm under Yang" Heather replied.

Shane nodded; "Okay, I'll see you later!" he said before turning around.

"Bye!" Heather replied.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April was updating the Electronic Board when she noticed Jackson stepping inside the pit; she placed her tab on top of the desk and waived her hand enthusiastically; "Jackson!"

Jackson paused and turned his head sideways; "Hey" he grunted.

April studied the Plastic Attending's posture and narrowed her eyes; "What's wrong?" she asked.

Jackson walked sluggishly towards April and stood right in front of her; "I'm not feeling that good" he admitted.

April gently placed her hand on his forehead; "You're hot" she observed.

Jackson smiled shrewdly; "Why thank you Dr. Kepner, I appreciate your candour" he replied.

April laughed sarcastically as she pulled her hand away; "Very funny Dr. Avery"

Jackson just shook his head, amusement evident on his face.

April furrowed her brows in concern; "If you're not feeling well then why didn't you call in sick?"

"I wanted to but I can't afford to miss a day. I have tons of paper work waiting for my signature" he Jackson replied glumly.

"Did you try delegating?"

Jackson sighed; "I can't, those papers need my signature specifically. I hate my life" he said.

April smiled ruefully; "I feel bad for you Jackman" she said.

Jackson chuckled; "I feel bad for myself" he replied. He then adjusted his laptop bag strap on his shoulder but cringed when it hit a sore spot.

April noticed his reaction so she moved closer; she lifted her hand and experimental pinched his left shoulder.

Jackson yelped; "April! What the hell-!"

April narrowed her eyes as she pulled her hand away; "It's your shoulder" she said.

Jackson frowned; "Huh?"

April crossed her arms on top of her chest; "You're running a fever because of your shoulder. You should go to Torres and have that checked" she said.

"I will have it checked"

April raised her brow; "I mean, now."

Jackson shook his head; "I can't. I need to drop by Hunt's office so I can give him the—"

April rolled her eyes before wrapping her hand on his other arm; she then began tugging him towards an empty exam room.

"What are you doing?" Jackson asked confusedly.

April pushed the door open and began pushing him towards the exam bed.

Jackson's eyes widen in shock; "April, what are you doing? I can't do this now, I mean we can't here—"

April gently shoved him into the bed; "Get your head out of the gutter, I'm paging Torres so she can examine you now" she chastised.

"Oh"

April threw him a wry look; "Really Jackson? Here? After everything we've been through?" she asked.

Jackson averted his gaze as his cheek's started to flush.

April saw his reaction and she can't help but giggle; "Don't look so abashed, I didn't tell you what I was doing" she said.

Jackson bit his bottom lip; "I'm sorry..."

"You know what will make me feel better?"

Jackson moved his eyes and met her gaze; "What?"

April smiled; "Stay here like a good boy and wait for Torres" she said.

Jackson eyed her for a couple of seconds before nodding; "Fine, send her in" he relented.

April beamed; "Good boy!" she said. She then spun on her heels and walked towards the door; "Don't even think about leaving Jackman, I will sic Alex on you and it won't be pretty" she said before exiting the room.

"Fine."

April laughed as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"When did you have the fall again?" Callie asked as she examines Jackson's shoulder.

"Last night" Jackson replied.

Callie lifted Jackson's left arm but stopped when the she heard the man grunt in pain; "Did you slip or something?" she asked.

Jackson cleared his throat; "I fell off a chair, I was sleeping, I was startled and when I turned to my side I flipped and met the floor. My left shoulder took the brunt of my weight I guess"

Callie chuckled; "That's why we have on call rooms Jackson, it's not just for sex, it's for sleeping too" she said.

Jackson winced again; "I know, I was stupid" he replied.

Callie put her hand on his shoulder and began prodding it gently; "It's sore and there is some bruising. The impact of your fall may have triggered your most recent injury, hence, you're fever. I can set you up with some pain meds but you will have to lay off of surgery for a while."

Jackson opened his mouth to protest but Callie didn't let him; "I already told you before Jackson but I'm repeating it now. You shouldn't have been allowed surgery only a week after your accident; your shoulder was put into so much stress when you started operating again that's why it didn't heal correctly. You will do as I say or you'll end up with a crippled shoulder and you're not even 90"

Jackson closed his eyes as he took a defeated breath; "How long?" he asked.

Callie pulled her hand away; "Two weeks" she said.

"But I have patients that—"

"No arguing. Two weeks. We have other Attending's here, use them" Callie snapped.

"But—"

Callie shushed him with her pointer finger; "Nu-uh! I don't want to hear it!"

Jackson closed his mouth.

Callie moved towards the supply cabinet and began pulling on the drawers.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for an arm sling" Callie replied.

Jackson stood up from his perch; "I don't need an arm sling! I'm fine!" he argued.

Callie pulled the next drawer and smile; "There you are!" she said enthusiastically. She then turned towards the exam bed and glared at her stubborn patient; "Sit. Down. Now."

Jackson huffed before following the Orthopaedic Surgeon's instructions.

"You will be wearing this sling every damn day. I'm not asking you to wear it just because I want to; you're wearing it because it will limit your shoulder movement that will help in healing. You already know the drill, you can't work out, you can't force your shoulder and you can't have sex, _capiche_?"

"It's not as if I'm getting any action lately" Jackson mumbled irritably.

Callie raised her brow; "Edwards is holding off sex?"

Jackson glared at Callie; "It's not that it's any of your business but Edwards and I are no longer together."

Callie's eyes widen in surprise; "Since when?" she asked.

"A couple of weeks ago" Jackson grunted.

Callie stared at Jackson with remorse; "I'm sorry to hear about that..." she said sincerely.

Jackson sighed; "We had it coming so it's alright" he replied.

Callie nodded; "Something are just not meant to be"

Jackson nodded; "Yeah"

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith was walking along the hallway when she saw Jackson stepping out of the exam room; she gingerly walked towards the other surgeon and narrowed her eyes when she saw that his arm is in a sling. "What happened to you?"

Jackson closed the door behind him before turning towards Meredith; "Torres ordered me to use this damn thing. I can't use my arm for two weeks and I'm pissed" he said.

Meredith stared at Jackson with concern; "What happened? Did you have an accident?"

Jackson let out a defeated sigh; "I fell off a chair and I landed on my bad shoulder, now it hurts like a bitch and I have a fever" he grunted.

"You fell off a chair?"

Jackson glared; "I did just say that right?"

Meredith wrinkled her nose; "What were you doing?" she asked.

"I was sleeping and then April called and told me that she passed her boards, I was startled so I fell off the damn chair!"

Meredith burst out laughing.

Jackson narrowed his eyes; "It's not funny Grey!" he snapped.

Meredith bit her bottom lip to stifle her giggles; "I'm—I'm sorry"

Jackson pursed his lips; "Whatever!" he said before turning on his heels.

"Jackson—wait!"

Jackson waived his hand dismissively; "I have work to do, find me when you can stop laughing at my plight!" he said bitterly.

Meredith giggled; "I'm sorry!" she hollered.

Jackson ignored her feeble attempts to talk; he rounded the corner and disappeared from view.

Meredith shook her head.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I just heard the news, congratulations seems to be in order"

April tore her eyes away from her charts and turned towards her right; she let out a bright smile when she saw her favourite intern. "Hey Ross, thank you!" she beamed.

Shane smiled at his mentor; "So, how does it feel?" he asked.

"It feels really good! It's as if I won the lottery or something" April gushed.

Shane chuckled.

April smiled contentedly; "I haven't been this happy in a long time, I miss it" she admitted.

"You deserve it, you've worked hard for it" Shane said.

April let out a deep breath before nodding; "You're right. So, what brought you here? Are you under my service today?" she asked.

Shane made a face; "As much as I want to be under your service today, I can't. I'm actually under Dr. Avery's service. Have you seen him by the way? I've been looking for him for over an hour now."

April furrowed her brows; "I left him with Dr. Torres over an hour ago, he's running a fever because of his bad shoulder. He should be around here somewhere, did you check the board rooms or the Burn Clinic?" she asked.

Shane nodded; "I did, but he's not there" he replied.

April moved her hand towards her pocket and pulled out her phone; "That's weird but let me call him to check if he went home or something" she offered.

"That would be great Dr. Kepner, thank you"

April smiled; "If you were any other intern I would've let you flounder" she teased.

Shane puffed out his chest and smiled smugly; "But I'm your favourite."

April rolled her eyes; she then unlocked her keypad and navigated through her phonebook. Once Jackson's number appeared, she tapped on the "call" button and shifted the phone to her ear. After a couple of rings, she heard her best friend's irritable voice; "Hey, I was just calling to check where you are—Oh, okay—Nope, Ross is looking for you—I'll send him there then—okay—bye!" She winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear; "He's in Chief Hunt's office and he's not in a very good mood I'm afraid" she said.

Shane took a deep breath and squared his shoulders; "I can do this, I'll go there right now."

April threw the intern a sympathetic look; "He's not feeling well so don't take it personally if he snaps at you."

Shane nodded; "Okay, I'll see you later Dr. Kepner. Thank you for helping me and congratulations again" he said with a nervous smile.

April nodded; "You're welcome and thank you too. Go now" she said.

Shane spun on his heels and made a bee line towards the E.R. doors.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Owen wearily stared at Jackson as he paces inside his office; "My hands are tied Avery, I can't do anything about it."

Jackson paused and turned his head towards Owen; "You're the Chief of Surgery, of course you can do something about this!"

"Look, I'm not doing this to be difficult but Torres is right, I shouldn't have cleared you for surgery on your first week back."

"But I'm fine! It only hurts now because I had that stupid fall!" Jackson huffed.

Owen crossed his arms on top of his chest; "That's the reason why we're barring you from surgery, because your shoulder hurts."

"But for two weeks? I don't think that's right! I have patients lining up for me and I can't just tell them that I can't do the surgery I promised because my stupid shoulder hurts!"

"Your patients will understand"

Jackson stared at Owen for a couple of seconds, but when he didn't see any type of compromise from the older surgeon's face, he let out a defeated sigh. "If I can't do surgery then what am I suppose to do here? Are you banning me from the hospital as well?"

Owen shook his head; "Of course not. You can still do consults and admin works" he replied.

"Great. More stupid paper works for me." Jackson said with sarcasm.

Owen sighed exasperatedly; "I know the situation sucks right now but we cannot do anything but to deal. If you don't want to do the paper works I can talk to your Mother and ask her to step in, in behalf of the Foundation for the mean time."

Jackson closed his eyes and sighed; "As much as I don't want to have my Mother in the same state as I am, I think that's a good idea. I don't think I can deal with the paper works right now."

Owen let out a small smile; "Done."

Jackson opened his eyes; "I know I'm hard to deal with but thank you for understanding" he said.

Owen nodded; "You are welcome, is there anything else?" he asked.

"The exchange program...do you have final roster?"

"No, there are still some Attendings' who hasn't responded yet" Owen replied.

Jackson swallowed hard; "Did-did April give her answer yet?" he asked.

Owen raised his brow; "No she hasn't, did she mention something to you?"

Jackson shook his head before sighing; "We don't talk about it."

"I see."

Jackson slipped his hand inside his lab coat pocket and cleared his throat; "Well I better go. I still need to fix my schedule" he said.

Owen nodded; "Alright, I'll inform you once I hear from your Mother" he said.

Jackson nodded; he then turned on his heel and walked towards the door.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"I think we're losing the wager, AGAIN" Meredith said as she sits across Cristina.

Cristina grabbed her coffee and took a sip; "I already lost, it's between you and Alex now" she replied dryly.

Meredith wrinkled her nose in distaste; "I don't think someone will win this stupid bet" she said.

Cristina chuckled; "Today's your last day right?" she asked.

Meredith pursed her lips; "Yep and he's not making any moves, he's like a dead fish floating inside a filthy aquarium. I think we should change his name from McPretty to McDeadOhPoorFish."

"You're awful Mer," Cristina replied.

Meredith leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "But it's true! Everybody who has eyes can see that he's into her, why can't he just man up and tell her! Watching him make googly eyes at April is sickening."

"Maybe he's really a Eunuch, he castrated himself after deflowering Kepner" Cristina suggested.

Meredith raised her brow; "And you call me awful?"

"Pay up, you guys owe me 200 bucks!" Alex said happily as he sat down beside Cristina.

Cristina huffed; "You haven't won yet evil spawn, I don't see McDeadOhPoorFish exploding yet and the Mass Gen ship hasn't sailed yet."

Alex made a face; "Who the hell is McDeadOhPoorFish? It's freaking mouthful!" he asked confusedly.

"It's Jackson's new name. We don't call him McPretty anymore because he's acting like a dead fish now" Meredith explained.

"You guys are awful!"

Cristina cackled; "It's true! Don't tell me it's not frustrating you?" she challenged.

Alex leaned back on his chair and placed his hands at the back of his head; "It's annoying to see them both floundering" he acquiesced.

"Ha!" Meredith huffed.

Cristina leaned forward and braised her elbows on top of the table; "Do you guys want to know what I found out?" she whispered.

Meredith leaned forward; "What?" she asked quietly.

Cristina turned her head sideways; "Evil spawn, come closer" she instructed.

Alex rolled his eyes before obliging; "What?" he asked.

Cristina smirked; "Owen told me that McDeadOhPoorFish is currently banned from surgery for two weeks and Momma Avery will be stepping in his shoes for the mean time."

Alex smiled cheekily; "Kiss your 100 bucks goodbye ladies" he said.

Meredith frowned; "I didn't thought that he's injuries are that severe, I mean, he just fell off a chair."

"It's not that severe but Torres told Owen that if McDeadOhPoorFish won't rest his shoulder, it might cause permanent damage."

"It makes sense, I mean, that dude was back to performing long tedious surgeries a week after his accident" Alex said.

Cristina nodded in agreement; "And the fall didn't help either" she said.

Meredith puffed out air; "Now I feel worse, I made fun of him a couple of minutes ago" she said.

Alex chuckled; "What did you do?" he asked.

"I laughed at him when he told me that he fell off a chair and he's wearing an arm sling" Meredith replied.

Cristina whistled; "Dark and twisty Mer, dark and twisty" she said.

Meredith groaned.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was clearing up his surgical schedule on his tab when he heard a knock on the door; "Come in" he said.

The door slowly opened as his intern peeked in; "Dr. Avery?" Shane said nervously.

"Are you finished with your rounds?" Jackson asked as he moved his eyes towards Shane.

Shane pushed the door wider and stepped inside the conference room; "Yes sir, all charts had been updated as well" he replied earnestly.

Jackson nodded in approval; "Good, thank you. You can go now, you're off my service" he said.

Shane's eyes widen in shock; "Did—did I do something wrong Dr. Avery?" he panicked.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "No. I just don't need an intern now and for the next 2 weeks because all my surgeries are cancelled, so scoot, find another Attending to bother" he said.

"Oh okay" Shane gasped. He then nodded and hastily stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Jackson turned his eyes back towards his tab and began tapping on the screen again; he was about to hit save when his phone vibrated on top of the desk. He leaned forward and grabbed his phone; he groaned out loudly when he saw his mother's name blinking on the screen. "Mom" he said dryly.

"Jackson baby, are you alright? I just received a call from Dr. Hunt and he told me that you're banned from surgeries and I have to fly there to take over for you. What happened?" Catherine asked worriedly.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "I'm fine Mom" he replied.

"Tell me what happened? Have you been into another accident again?"

"I just fell off a chair and landed on my bad shoulder, I'm good" Jackson replied.

"You hurt your left shoulder again? What in world were you doing?" Catherine asked aghast.

Jackson leaned back on his chair; "I was sleeping on a chair when April called me on my phone to tell me that she passed her boards, I was startled so I fell off."

"That's wonderful!" Catherine exclaimed happily.

Jackson frowned; "You're son just got banned from surgery for two weeks Mom, It's not wonderful" he snapped irritably.

"I'm not talking about you dear, don't get all crabby on me."

"Oh, sorry" Jackson said abashedly.

"You should be proud of April, she's come a long way" Catherine said.

Jackson let out a small smile; "Yeah, she has."

"Well, I just called to check if you're doing alright" Catherine explained. She then paused before speaking again; "Dr. Hunt told me that you wanted me to go there to take over for two weeks, is that true?" she asked warily.

"It's true, I don't think I can deal with paper works right now, I simply don't have the patience."

"Oh baby..."

Jackson let out a defeated sigh; "I'm just a little bit worn out lately so your help will be greatly appreciated" he admitted.

"Fine, I'll fly out first thing tomorrow" Catherine replied.

Jackson smiled; "Thanks Mom"

"I think you should go home and rest, Dr. Hunt also mentioned that you're running a fever. You can't do consults when your brain is muddled sweetheart, so just be a good boy and go home" Catherine said.

"I think I'll do that, I'm a little light headed" Jackson acquiesced.

"Don't drive, just take a cab. Okay?"

Jackson rolled his eyes; "Yes mother" he replied.

"Alright baby, I'll see you soon! Give April my congratulations, okay?"

"Will do. Call me once your plane has landed, have a safe flight and thank you for doing this in such a short notice" Jackson said sincerely.

"Oh hush, it's nothing. Bye baby, I love you!" Catherine said.

"Bye Mom, love you too" Jackson replied. He then pulled the phone away from his ear and disconnected the call. He then stood up and slipped his phone inside his jean's back pocket; he plucked the tab from the table and walked towards the door. "I might as well go home now" he mumbled to himself.

oOo

"What do we have here Kepner?" Owen asked as he enters the room.

"We have a hit and run case here Chief; patient has massive abdominal and head injuries, pupils are dilated but not responsive. I already paged Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Bailey and they're on their way I hope" April replied as she navigates the transducer around the patient's abdomen. "His bleeding internally Chief, we have to move him to the O.R" she added.

Owen walked towards the phone and pulled it off from its cradle; "Book O.R. 1 now and page Shepherd, Bailey and Yang" he said. He then placed the phone back and walked towards the bed; "You're off this case Kepner, I have it" he said.

"But Chief-"

"No, we already talked about this. You're not cleared yet so just do what I say, I got this" Owen said sternly.

April pursed her lips as she takes her gloves off; "Fine" she huffed before walking towards the door. She pushed it open and stepped out of the room; she made her way towards the nurses' station and grabbed her tab. She unlocked it with a swipe of her finger and began updating the information; "First day of being a board certified surgeon and this is what I do, I should just work for Tastee Freez at least I'll get my hands dirty!" she mumbled irritably.

"Hey if you work there, give me a free sundae, okay?"

April rolled her eyes; "You're a surgeon Alex, I'm sure you can afford a measly sundae" she quipped.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; "Why would I pay for it when you can throw it for free" he replied.

"I'll definitely throw one at you"

Alex laughed; "Feisty."

April placed her tab on the desk and sighed; "Seriously, this is insane. It's been two weeks already and nothing" she complained.

Alex moved towards the vacant chair right in front of the desk and sat down; he reclined on his back and raised his feet on top of the desk. "Don't rush it, you don't want to end up like Avery."

April furrowed her brows; "Whatever happened to him by the way? I left him with Torres an hour ago."

"He's banned from surgery for two weeks and his Momma will be flying over to take over his position as board member" Alex said. He then paused and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "And oh, Torres gave him an arm sling" he added thoughtfully.

"I didn't know it's that bad" April replied.

Alex snickered; "It's not supposed to be that bad but he pushed his luck and now he's suffering the consequences of his hard headedness."

April pursed her lips; "I don't even want to see him right now, I'm pretty sure he's ticked off."

Alex peered behind April's back before pulling his feet away from the desk; he hastily stood up from his perch and smirked at the oblivious red head. "You don't have a choice because McTickedOff is walking towards us and he doesn't look happy. I'll see you later Kepner, bye!" he said before scampering away.

April's eyes widen as she watches her friend leave; "Alex you coward come back here!" she yelled in panic.

"What's going on here?" Jackson asked with furrowed brows.

April slowly turned around and smiled warily; "H-hey". She then moved her eyes towards the arm sling; "Are you okay?" she asked with worry.

Jackson stopped right in front of April and nodded curtly; "Yeah, I'm going home."

"Okay, but will you be able to drive?" April asked with concern.

"Nope, I called for a cab and it's already outside waiting. I just dropped by to say goodbye and if you see Hunt, please tell him that I already went home."

April nodded; "Okay, I will tell him. Take care" she said.

Jackson nodded; "Will do. See you tomorrow."

April smiled; "Bye" she said.

Jackson turned on his heels and began walking towards the exit.

April titled her head sideways and watched the other surgeon leave; "Wow, no bitch fit, this is new" she said amusedly.

* * *

oOo

**"_I thought that she'd break down but she smiled at me and never made a sound_**

**_and I guess she understood in her way, coz the silence told me everything she could not_**

**_say when it falls apart, there is just no easy way to break somebody's heart..."_**

oOo

* * *

**The next day: **

April was lacing her sneakers when the door to the Attendings' Lounge flung open; she moved her head sideways and saw Cristina approaching. "Morning" she chirped.

Cristina plopped down beside April and leaned her head back on the couch; "I miss McPretty."

April chuckled; "Why?" she asked.

Cristina groaned; "Momma Avery is killing me! The day hasn't even started yet and she's already planning meetings!"

"That sucks."

Cristina moved her head sideways; "Have you seen her already? She brought you a present" she said.

"Err-what?"

Cristina smirked; "So you haven't seen your present yet."

April frowned; "What do you mean present?" she asked in confusion.

Cristina shot up from the couch and winked at her friend; "You'll see" she said mischievously as she walks towards the door.

"You can't just tell me that and walk away!"

Cristina cackled before stepping out of the room.

April huffed as she stood up.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"How are you liking the hospital so far" Catherine asked.

Dr. Edward Michaels smiled widely; "Everything's impressive" he replied.

Catherine nodded approvingly; "You haven't seen the whole facility yet. The E.R. was just upgraded and the new equipment the board bought is impressive" she bragged.

Edward chuckled; "I would love to see that" he replied.

Catherine smiled ruefully; "I can take you for a tour but unfortunately a mountain load of paper works awaits me" she said. She then moved her gaze towards the O.B. Fellow's back and saw a familiar face just exiting the elevator; "Oh, I think I can find someone who can tour you!" she said excitedly. "April baby! Over here!"

April turned her head towards the lobby and saw her best friend's mother; she let out a bright smile before walking towards her.

Catherine opened her arms welcomingly at the Trauma Surgeon; "I just heard baby, congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" she said.

April walked into Catherine's arms and hugged the old surgeon tightly; "Thank you so much!" she said sincerely.

Catherine squeezed April before pulling away; "You deserve it baby!" she replied.

April smiled; "It's so nice to see you back! How was your flight? Did you call Jackson?" she asked.

Catherine patted April's cheek fondly; "It was fine and yes, I called him."

April nodded as she stuffed her hands inside her lab coat; "Okay" she replied.

Edward cleared his throat.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, where are my manners" Catherine said apologetically. She then turned towards April and smiled widely; "Dr. April Kepner, meet Dr. Edward Michaels. He's an O.B. Fellow from Mass Gen and he's here to have a look at this hospital" she said.

Edward offered his hand towards the petite Trauma surgeon and flashed his most charming smile; "It's nice to finally put a face to a name" he said.

April felt her cheeks flush as she shook the other surgeon's hand; "Err—it's nice to meet you Dr. Michaels" she mumbled shyly.

Edward squeezed April's hand before pulling away; "Call me Edward, Dr. Michael sounds so formal" he said while winking.

April smiled nervously; "Okay Edward, you can call me April then."

Catherine clapped her hands ecstatically; "Now that we have that out of the way, April baby, why don't you be a darling and give Edward a tour. I was supposed to show him around but I'm left with tons of paper works that needs my attention."

April turned her gaze towards Catherine, clearly in surprise; "But I'm in charge of the pit today and—"

"Nonsense!" Catherine said while waiving her hand dismissively. "The pit won't crumble if you're not there in an hour, I'll send someone to watch over it and I'm sure Edward here will enjoy your company" she said meaningfully.

April closed her mouth shut when she heard no compromise from Catherine's tone; she let out a defeated sigh before turning towards the other surgeon. "We can start now if you'd like" she said with an awkward smile.

"I'd like that" Edward replied.

Catherine leaned forward and squeezed April's shoulder; "Thank you for doing this baby, I'll see you both later, enjoy!" she said before turning on her heels and walking away.

April waited for Catherine to turn around the corner before facing her companion again; "I'm sorry about that" she said while cringing in humiliation.

Edward smiled ruefully at April; "No, I am sorry. I know you're needed in the E.R. and you don't have to do this, really. I can look around, I'll be fine" he said.

April chuckled nervously; "It's alright, what Catherine wants, Catherine gets. Let's just humour her for now" she said.

"She's never been subtle with her meddling, huh?" Edward joked.

"Just wait till you see her in action" April winked.

Edward laughed.

"Shall we?"

"Lead the way."

April smiled before she started walking towards the elevators.

"Is that April? Who is she walking with?" Meredith asked while cooing at her baby boy.

Derek adjusted Zola in his arms before turning his eyes towards the elevators; "Yep that's her alright but I don't recognize the man she's walking with" he replied.

"Cristina might know. Come on, let's bring these babies to Day Care so we can start our day."

"To start your morning gossip you mean?" Derek teased.

Meredith smiled; "I love how you can read my mind" she said.

Derek chuckled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Happy! Mopey!" Cristina barked.

Shane and Leah scurried towards the Cardio Attending and stared at her with full attention.

"You're both on my service today. We'll handle the pit until Dr. Kepner arrives so try not kill anyone, okay?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Shane and Leah replied in unison.

"Good, now scoot!"

Shane and Leah both turned on their heels and left hurriedly.

"Yang!"

Cristina turned around and saw her former chief resident walking towards her; "Morning Dr. Bailey" she said with a smile.

Miranda stood right in front of the nurses' station and placed her charts on top of it; "What are you doing here and why are you terrorizing your interns this early?" she asked.

Cristina shoved her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "Dr. Avery asked me to handle the pit until April arrives" she replied.

Miranda raised her brow; "Boss Man ordered you and you just followed?" she asked.

"It's not McDeadOhPoorFish who asked me, it's his McMommy" Cristina replied dryly.

"You and your awful name calling" Miranda said. She then wrinkled her nose; "Wait, McMommy is here?" she asked.

Cristina nodded; "Yep and she's already killing me with boring meetings" she replied.

Miranda chuckled; "That's what you get for buying a hospital" she said. She then narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "Where is Kepner by the way? She's supposed to be here, I'm co-piloting the pit with her today. It's just her second day of being a board certified surgeon and she's already being sloppy? Didn't I teach ya'll better?" she asked.

Cristina smirked; "Oh, she's here already but McMommy brought her a present and I think she's being forced to unwrap it" she said suggestively.

Miranda made a face of disgust.

Cristina cackled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alex was just stepping out of the Burn Centre when he saw his friend walking towards his direction; he narrowed his eyes while trying to figure out whose walking beside her.

"—and this is the Burn Centre. Jackson normally handles this but he's not here yet so—Oh hey Alex, good morning!" April greeted happily.

Alex nodded; "What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to handle the pit?" he asked.

April shoved her hands inside her pockets and began rocking on her heels; "Yep, I will handle it today but I'm giving Dr. Michaels a tour first" she replied. She then turned towards her side and smiled; "This is Dr. Alex Karev, he's one of our best Ped's Attending here in SGMW. Alex this is Dr. Edward Michaels, he's an O.B Fellow from Mass Gen" she introduced.

Edward offered his hand; "It's nice to meet you Dr. Karev, please call me Edward" he said.

Alex shook the other surgeon's hand; "It's nice meeting you too, I hope you're enjoying the tour" he replied. He then moved his eyes towards April; "Can I talk to you for a second" he asked.

"Of course" April replied. She then turned towards Edward and smiled; "Please excuse us for a second" she said.

Edward nodded; "Go ahead" he replied.

Alex nodded towards the O.B. Fellow; "I'll see you around man" he said before walking towards an empty patient room.

April followed her friend curiously; she stepped inside the empty room and stared at the Ped's Attending inquisitively.

Alex braised his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes; "What's happening here? Why are you touring a Mass Gen Fellow around the hospital?" he asked.

April peered behind her before putting her pointer finger on her lips; "Shhhhhh!" she hissed before shifting closer to her friend. "Not so loud Alex!" she chastised.

"Why are shushing me?" Alex asked with a frown.

April stood right in front of Alex and made a face; "Dr. Avery asked me to show him around so I can't do anything about it, so just lower your voice!" she whispered.

"Why?"

"She wants me to give him a tour because she's being held up by tons of paper works" April repeated Catherine's explanation.

Alex rolled his eyes; "Yeah right."

"He's a nice guy and he's actually interested in this hospital"

"He's not interested in this hospital Kepner, he's interested in you!"

April threw Alex a mortified look; "You're crazy! Of course he's not interested in me!" she replied.

Alex snickered; "Do you see the way he's looking at you? He's definitely checking you out!"

April's cheeks instantly flushed, clearly embarrassed with Alex's observation; "He is not!" she shrilled.

Alex crossed his hands on top of his chest and smirked; "I'm a guy Kepner, I know these things" he replied.

April took a step back as a look of astonishment crossed her face; "Really?"

Alex frowned; "What's with the look? Don't tell me your interested with Blondie there?" he asked.

"Oo—ffcourse not!" April replied, clearly flustered.

"Oh god, you are!" Alex said indignantly.

April shook her head vigorously; "I'm not!"

"You're definitely interested! He's the enemy Kepner and you can't like him!"

"What are you talking about? What enemy?" April asked.

"He's from Mass Gen!" Alex spat.

April made a face; "I know that, so?"

Alex huffed; "Does Avery know about this?" he asked.

"He should, his mother brought him along."

"Where is he anyway?" Alex asked.

April shrugged her shoulders; "I don't know, I haven't seen him yet" she replied.

Alex shoved his hand inside his pocket and pulled his phone out; "I'm calling him"

April was about to speak but a faint knocking cut her off; she turned her head sideways and saw Edward standing right outside the room's window. She smiled at the other surgeon ruefully before turning her gaze back to her friend; "I have to go" she said.

"Go, whatever" Alex replied as he busily tapped on his phone's screen.

April scowled at the Ped's Attending before stepping out of the room, leaving Alex to his own devices.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was locking the door behind him when he felt his phone vibrating from his pocket; he huffed in annoyance before dumping his bag on the floor. He plucked the offending device from his pocket and tapped on the answer key; "This better be good Karev, I'm a struggling one armed functioning person and I'm already running late!"

"Where the hell are you?"

"I'm on my way to work! What do you want?" Jackson asked irritably.

"Did you know that your Mom brought one of her lemmings from Mass Gen?"

"WHAT?"

"I'll take that as a no"

Jackson scowled; "Who the hell did she bring?" he asked.

"An O.B. Fellow, Dr. Edward something, I just saw him a couple of minutes ago. Kepner is showing him around your Burn Center just about now."

Jackson swore angrily before disconnecting the call.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Meredith entered the pit with a purpose; she scanned the room with hawk eyes before making a bee line towards the nurses' station. "I know you know something, so spill!"

Cristina lifted her eyes from her tab and raised her brow; "What makes you think that?" she asked.

"You've been here since 7 A.M. and you're co-piloting the pit which you don't normally do, so spill" Meredith said.

Cristina smirked; "McMommy brought Kepner a present" she said.

Meredith stared at Cristina confusedly; "Who are we calling McMommy again?" she asked.

"McDeadOhPoorFish's mommy" Cristina explained.

"Oh." She then furrowed her brows and leaned on the nurses' station; "Let me guess, McMommy brought April a man candy for a present?" she asked.

Cristina nodded excitedly; "She did and he's a looker. Did you see him?" she asked.

Meredith nodded; "I did but I wasn't able to see his face but he's blonde right?"

"As blonde as they can get, he has deep azure eyes and he looks like a G.Q. model who stepped right out of its pages."

Meredith smiled; "Deep azure eyes? You studied him that well?" she teased.

Cristina chuckled; "He's standing right in front of me, it's hard not to stare" she replied.

"He's prettier than our McPretty then? Interesting" Meredith mused.

"And Kepner is practically drooling over him"

Meredith and Cristina both turned towards the irritated voice.

Alex braised his hands on his hips as he stood right in front of his friends.

"Did you see them?" Cristina asked.

"It's hard not see them, when they're practically parading around the hospital like a power couple and he's checking her out and she's oblivious!" Alex huffed.

"I take it that you're not a fan of his deep azure eyes?" Meredith asked with a smile.

"Do I look like a fan to you?" Alex asked with a glare.

Meredith chuckled.

"Come on evil spawn, don't be like that. Let Apes have some fun, let her enjoy her present" Cristina said.

"She can have all the fun she wants but it won't last long, Avery is pissed and he's on his way"

Cristina frowned; "He's coming in? I thought he's sick?" she asked.

"I called him awhile ago to ask him if he knows about his mother's lemming and it looks like he's clueless because he hung up on me."

"Alex! Is this still about the bet? I told you no meddling, bad dog!" Meredith scolded.

Alex scowled; "Hey! This isn't about the damn bet! And he told me he's on his way even before I told him about Blondie!" he replied.

Cristina stared at Alex's back and pursed her lips towards the door; "Incoming, angry McDeadOhPoorFish" she said.

Both Alex and Meredith turned towards the direction that Cristina is pointing at.

Jackson didn't seem to notice them as he broodingly walked along the hallway; he rounded the corner and almost collided with Shane. "Get out of the way!" he roared.

Shane instantly took a step back; merely missing the angry Attending by inches.

Alex winced; "I wouldn't cross him today, he's in a mood" he observed.

"Sparks will fly" Meredith said.

"Literally." Cristina added.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Catherine was perusing some documents when the door to the conference room flung open; she tore her eyes away from the papers and was surprised to see her son standing by the door. "Baby!" she exclaimed happily while standing up.

Jackson stepped away from the door and closed it behind him; he took a couple of steps but kept a distance between them. "Hi Mother, is there something you want to tell me?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Catherine ignored her son's stiff reaction and hastily moved towards him; she stepped right in front of him and gently wrapped her arms around his body. "I missed you baby."

Jackson huffed in annoyance but returned the hug with his good arm and pulled away immediately.

Catherine took a step back and stared at his arm sling; "You didn't tell me that you had to use that, does it hurt badly?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Torres had me wear this stupid thing to limit my movements and to help alleviate the soreness."

"I see, you should take it easy" Catherine said with worry. She then walked back to her chair and sat down; "I thought your taking a time off today, why are you here?" she asked.

Jackson scowled; "Aha! You thought it was my time off so you decided to drag your lemming here" he said accusingly.

Catherine's eyes widen in shock.

"And you just have to choose April to show him around, wow!" Jackson said sarcastically.

Catherine leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I already told you that I'm planning on bringing him along so I don't understand why you're so angry" she said.

"And I already told you that I don't want you to bring him along!" Jackson snapped.

"I'm still your mother so watch your tone with me" Catherine said sternly. She then narrowed her eyes at her son; "What is this really about Jackson? Why are you acting this way?" she asked.

Jackson pursed his lips petulantly and turned his head sideways; avoiding his mother's inquiring eyes.

Catherine studied her son's face; "Are you in love with April?" she asked bluntly.

Jackson's body instantly stiffened upon hearing the question; he tried to move his head back to meet his mother eyes but he can't seem to do so.

"It's a simple question Jackson, so what is it? And look at me when I'm talking to you!" Catherine snapped.

Jackson swallowed hard and slowly met his mother's gaze; he opened his mouth to speak but no word seems to escape his mouth.

"The way you're reacting right now is already a dead giveaway but I won't let you off the hook that easily, I want to hear you admit it" Catherine said cautiously.

Jackson clenched his fists; "Yes, I'm in love with her. Are you happy now?"

"Oh baby..."

"Now that you know the truth why don't you ship your stupid minion away so we can go on with our lives" Jackson spat.

Catherine let out a small smile before nodding in agreement; "Fine. Done."

"Good!"

Catherine stood up from her chair again and began walking towards her son; she stood right in front of him for the second time and grasped his face in her palms. "I've always known she's special to you baby and I'm so happy that you finally saw it" she gushed.

Jackson glared at his mother; "You already knew but you just have to keep on pimping her" he said disdainfully.

"That's not true baby, I only threw random men her way because you're too stubborn to pull your head of your ass" Catherine said shrewdly.

Jackson paused and almost instantly a look of comprehension dawned on his face; "You're meddling!"

Catherine pinched her baby boy's cheeks; "I'm staying out of your business but I made no such promises to April" she replied cheekily.

Jackson huffed but after a couple of seconds a small smile crept to his lips.

Catherine squealed in happiness; "My baby boy is finally in love! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed.

"Stop that! You're acting crazy" Jackson chided, his cheeks reddening.

Catherine ignored his jibe and pulled her hands away; "Did you tell her? Does April know?" she asked.

Jackson cleared his throat and stood straighter.

Catherine's eyes widen; "You haven't told her yet?" she asked, obviously appalled.

"We haven't talked yet but we will."

"You should tell her! Whatever are you waiting for?"

"April and I are complicated, I'll tell her when we're both ready" Jackson replied.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "Well, you better tell her soon because she's planning on jumping on the Mass Gen ship" she said.

Jackson's demeanour instantly changed upon hearing the other hospital's name; "Speaking of that stupid exchange program, is it your idea?" he asked.

Catherine threw her son an affronted look; "I'm offended that you think it's me who had that idea by default but just to set things straight, I have nothing to do with it and it was not my idea."

Jackson studied his mother's face; after a couple of seconds his face softened. "I'm sorry Mom...I didn't mean to accuse you, it's just that—I don't know" he said with exasperation.

Catherine sighed; "I know I have been pressuring you for years to move back to Boston to get your legacy on but that was before, I understand you more now. I've seen you shine in Plastics and you are brilliant with what you do, Sloan taught you well and I'll forever be thankful to him for looking after you and encouraging you with your passion" she said. She then paused and met her son's eyes directly; "I may not have said this often but I want you to know that I'm proud of you son. I'm proud of the things you've achieved on your own, I'm even prouder for the man you have become and I am beyond thrilled that you are making your own name in the field that you love."

Jackson felt his throat tighten as overwhelming emotion swelled inside his chest; he took a step forward and impulsively pulled his mother into a tight embrace. "I love you Mom and it's so good to finally hear you say it" he admitted.

Catherine wrapped her arms around her son the best way she can without squeezing his shoulder; "I'm sorry if I haven't said it enough but its true baby" she whispered.

Jackson closed his eyes as he buried his face into his mother's familiar curls; "Thank you"

Catherine began rubbing her son's back soothingly; "You're welcome and I love you too" she replied.

Jackson hummed contentedly pulling away; he then smiled boyishly at his mother before taking a step back. "Send your minion away" he asked.

Catherine eyed her son before bursting out laughing.

Jackson grinned.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"And this is the Cafeteria" April said as she usher her guest inside the large room.

Edward studied his surrounding's before turning towards his companion; "This is what I've been waiting for all morning, I'm starving" he said candidly.

April chuckled; "Why didn't you tell me, I should've taken you here sooner" she replied.

Edward shrugged his shoulders; "I'm enjoying the tour."

April shook her head in amusement; "Come on, let's get you some food" she said while walking towards the line.

"Let's go" Edward replied while following the Trauma Surgeon.

April was about to pull a tray when she heard her name being called; she turned her head sideways and was surprised to see Catherine walking towards them, with her son in tow.

Edward turned towards the approaching surgeon's and smiled; "We're just wrapping up our tour, we're already done" he said.

"That's good to hear dear" Catherine said. She then turned towards her side and smiled; "Edward, this is my son Jackson, he's the chair of the board in this hospital" she said proudly.

Edward's eyes widen in surprise; he then offered his hand for shake; "It's nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Edward Michael's, an O.B. Fellow from Mass Gen" he said.

Jackson took a step forward and sized up the other surgeon; he then moved his eyes towards the proffered hand and smiled tightly. "I would shake your hand but as you can see my dominant arm is currently indisposed" he said dryly.

April stared at Jackson with amusement because she knows for a fact that her best friend is right handed.

"Right" Edward said while lowering his hand.

Catherine threw her son admonishing look before turning towards her prot; "I already sorted all the paper works for this morning, why don't we grab some bite" she offered.

Edward turned towards April and smiled; "We were supposed to eat" he said.

April shifted her gaze towards the O.B. surgeon and smiled back.

Jackson caught the interaction between her mother's lemming and his best friend and he does not like it one bit; "Mom's right, there's a cafe across the street and they serve good brunch and I'm pretty sure April is needed at the pit" he said smugly.

April turned towards the Plastics surgeon and raised her brow; "Really?" she said.

Jackson met her gaze; "Really" he affirmed.

Catherine cleared her throat; "Well, it's settled then. Come on Edward, let's have brunch" she said.

Edward noticed the exchange between the two so he turned towards Catherine; "Okay" he replied. He then moved his eyes towards April; "It was nice meeting you April and I'm very much hoping to see you again" he said.

April's cheeks redden upon hearing Edward's words; she turned her gaze towards him and smiled shyly. "It was a pleasure meeting you Edward, I hope you enjoyed the tour."

Edward smiled widely; "I enjoyed your company too" he replied.

Jackson shifted towards April and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders; "I'm pretty sure you did" he said through gritted teeth.

"Err—come on now, thank you again baby for doing this for me" Catherine said to April.

April smiled awkwardly; "You're welcome" she replied.

Catherine tapped the O.B. Attending's shoulder and gestured towards the door; "Shall we?" she said.

Edward nodded; "It was nice meeting you Dr. Avery" he said before turning on his heel.

Catherine threw her son a chastising smile before following the other surgeon.

April watched the two walk away before turning her head towards Jackson; she narrowed her eyes at him before pulling away. "What's that about?" she asked.

Jackson took a step back and furrowed his eyes as well; "Why are you blushing?" he asked.

"I'm not blushing!"

"Yes you are!"

April scowled; "I'm not! You're crazy! And you're rude to him!" she accused.

Jackson huffed; "I'm not rude to him, I just don't like him! He's from Mass Gen!"

"That's what Alex said! What's with you guys?" April exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"Do you like him?"

April's eyes widen; "What?" she asked in shock.

Jackson took a deep breath before repeating his question; "Do you like him?"

April took a step back; "You're doing it again" she said.

"Doing what?" Jackson asked confusedly.

April stared at him with disbelief; "You're already thinking about the worst even before you ask me and when I actually speak and tell you the truth, you won't believe me" she sputtered with venom.

Jackson look affronted; "That's not true!" he replied.

April shook her head disappointedly before spinning on her heels and walking away.

"April!" Jackson yelled.

April ignored the Plastics Attending's shouts as she pushed the door open.

Jackson watches as her back disappears from the door; he clenched his fist tightly as he groans in frustration.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Ross, order an XRAY and page Ortho" Cristina instructed her intern. She then turned towards her patient; "We'll get back to you once we already have your XRAY results so just sit tight" she said.

"Thank you Dr. Yang" The patient replied.

The E.R. doors burst open as April saunters in; she angrily walked towards the nurses' station and plucked her tab from its cradle. She scowled at the device before tapping on its screen; when she couldn't get the app she needed she groaned in frustration.

Cristina turned towards her patient and smiled; "Excuse me" she said before turning around. She walked towards the nurses' station and stood behind the fuming Trauma surgeon. "Hey Apes, what's up?"

April took a deep breath before turning towards the Cardio Surgeon; "I'm fine. Thank you for handling the pit for me" she said wearily.

Cristina studied April's face; "What happened? Didn't you like your present?" she asked.

April glared at Cristina as a response.

Cristina raised her hands in mock surrender; "I'm just asking" she said.

April huffed; "Today is so maddening!"

"What happened?"

April pursed her lips before continuing; "Jackson is so frustrating! He's acting like—like a total douchebag!" she spat.

Cristina raised her brow; "What did he do?" she asked with interest.

April crossed her arms on top of her chest; "He's doing it again! He's accusing me of things without even asking me!" she replied.

Cristina opened her mouth to speak but April cut her off.

"-And when I actually tell him the truth, he doesn't believe me! How fucked up is that?!"

"Oh."

"Urrrggghhhh! He's so frustrating! I don't know what to do with him anymore! I give up! I might as well ship myself to Boston just to get it over with!" April ranted.

Cristina's eyes widen; "Whoa! Calm down there. Don't make decisions when you're mad Apes, take a deep breath and think it over" she said.

April braised her hands on the nurses' station and bowed her head; she closed her eyes as she took a deep calming breath. "I know but he's making it easier day by day" she whispered.

Cristina opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Shane clearing his throat; "Err—Excuse me Dr. Yang, the XRAY results are in" he said.

April raised her head and turned towards Cristina; "I'm okay, go help your patient" she said with a weary smile.

Cristina eyed April for a couple of seconds; "Okay but remember what I said, no deciding yet, you're still mad" she said.

April nodded; "Okay" she replied.

Cristina nodded before turning on her heels; "Come on Ross" she said.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was walking sulkily towards his Burn Centre when he was accosted and shoved inside a supply closet. "What the hell—"

"You have to tell her!"

Jackson took a step back to catch his bearing; "Grey? What are you doing?" he asked, clearly flabbergasted.

Meredith braised her hands on her hips as she glared at the other surgeon; "Cristina told me that April only has until Friday to decide whether she'll come aboard on the Mass Gen Ship or not and it doesn't help that your Mother brought her a man candy for a present. Have you seen the guy? Cristina told me that he looks like a G.Q. model who stepped out of its pages, no offense, I know you're good looking but you have competition Pretty boy. Alex told me he was checking April out and she's enjoying it" she said.

"How do you know all this?"

Meredith raised her chin haughtily; "I have my ways, now, are you going to talk to her or not? Her boards are over and based from what I know she promised you a talk after her boards."

Jackson's eyes widen; "How did—how on earth did you know that?" he asked in shock.

"It doesn't matter how I knew, what matters is what you will do! I'm cashing out the favour you owe me Avery, I want you suck it up and talk to April"

"You can't just do that!" Jackson panicked.

Meredith narrowed her eyes; "I can do whatever hell I want with that favour, you promised me you'll oblige. I'm cashing it now and be thankful that I'm using it for your own good!"

Jackson stared at Meredith before sighing; "I don't think she's staying" he admitted.

Meredith's eyes widen; "Did she tell you that?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head sadly; "No but I feel it. She's giving up and she's leaving me..."

Meredith took a step forward and comfortingly squeezed Jackson's arm; "You don't know that for sure. You shouldn't give up without even trying, you're not a coward Jackson Avery" she said. She then let out a small smile; "You run into a burning bus to save a little girl, that's not the definition of coward in my dictionary" she added.

Jackson let out a small smile before meeting Meredith's eyes; "I didn't know you think highly of me Mer" he said cheekily.

Meredith pulled her hand away; "Well that will change if you don't grow balls and tell the woman you love that you're in love with her" she said casually.

Jackson licked his lips nervously; "But I don't know where to start or what to say..."

"Start with honesty that always works"

Jackson squared his shoulders before nodding; "I'll do that. I can do that."

Meredith leaned on the blanket's rack and chuckled.

Jackson furrowed his brows; "I'm glad that you find me amusing again" he said.

Meredith rolled her eyes before smiling widely; "Oh hush! I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at myself" she said.

Jackson raised his brow; "Huh?"

"Your reaction now reminds me of my reaction when I first told Derek I love him" Meredith said wistfully.

Jackson kept silent; willing Meredith to continue.

Meredith understood the other surgeon's silence and continued; "It was not a grand gesture if that's what you're thinking, it was actually the opposite, the go for broke love confession" she said with a chuckle.

"What did you do?" Jackson asked with interest.

"I only decided to tell him I love him when I'm hairbreadth closer to losing him over his ex wife, he was on the verge of choosing her over me and it hurt like hell, that's the time I realized that he is _it _for me" Meredith said. She the stood straight and shoved her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "The moment was not perfect because he was just scrubbing out of his surgery when I cornered him and told him to pick me and choose me and my love confession was not even convincing because I practically told him that I love him so much that I only pretended to like his taste in music and have him eat the last bite of my cheesecake."

Jackson smiled; "Wow"

Meredith chuckled; "I know right" she said.

Jackson's smiled faltered; "But Derek told me that he walked away after that" he said.

"So he did talk to you about that" Meredith observed.

Jackson cleared his throat.

Meredith shook her head; "No, he didn't choose me that time, I had to drown before he realized that I'm _it _for him" she said with laugh.

Jackson furrowed his brows; "Are you saying that I have to almost die again before April and I can work out?" he asked.

"Of course not, stop being silly!" Meredith chastised. "What I'm trying to say is that Derek and I had to go through a lot of crap before we made it on the same page but we eventually made it."

"Oh"

Meredith smiled before walking towards the door; she pulled it open and stepped out. "Go for broke, you've got nothing to lose, there's only her to gain" she said before closing the door behind her.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Decision Day: **

The days passed by faster than what April preferred and she's not happy about it; it felt like it was only yesterday when she received a life changing message and today she's being pressured to make a life changing decision. She's been sitting on a bench for over an hour now but she can't seem to make herself move; some of her friends already passed her by but no one can seem to convince her to stand up. She hasn't made any decision but the war between her mind and heart is already tearing her apart; her mind is telling her to go because that's the most logical thing to do but her heart is so set on staying because of her friends and the man she's still in love with. She let out deep sigh and closed her eyes; she leaned back on the backrest and tilted her face upwards.

"You know you're in Seattle and you can't get a tan here, right?"

April's eyes snapped open upon hearing a voice; "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Cristina ignored the red head's question and plopped down beside her; "I'm not going" she said.

April moved her head sideways and stared at the Cardio Surgeon in surprise; "I thought you were going? You were all set and excited, what changed your mind?"

Cristina leaned back and crossed her legs; "I was excited at first but when I realized what I'll be leaving behind again, I couldn't do it" she admitted.

April leaned forward and braised her elbows on top of her knees; she buried her face into her palms before letting out a frustrated groan.

Cristina chuckled; "I take it that you haven't decided yet?"

April pulled her face away and stared at the pavement; "I don't know what to do, my mind is telling me to leave but my heart is—I don't know" she said resignedly.

Cristina stared at April's downtrodden figure for a moment before opening her bag; she pulled her wallet out and began looking for something.

April turned her head sideways and stared at the Cardio Surgeon; "What are you doing?" she asked.

Cristina stuffed her wallet back inside her bag and shoved her hand in the side pocket instead; she delved her hand further inside before yelping in triumph. "Aha!"

"You're weird" April said.

Cristina pulled her hand out of her bag and moved it closer to April's face.

"A quarter? Why are you giving me a quarter?" April asked confusedly.

Cristina smiled smugly; "This baby will help you decide"

April wrinkled her nose; "You want me to base my future on a quarter?" she asked.

Cristina rolled her eyes; "Pull that imaginary stick out of your ass for second and listen to me, okay?" she said.

April nodded.

"Head says you're staying and Tail says you're sailing on the ship"

"Okay"

Cristina flipped the coin in the air and catches it with her right palm; she flipped her hand again and deposited the coin at the back of her left hand. "Are you ready?" she asked.

April sat up and swallowed hard; "Y-yeah, I guess" she replied shakily.

Cristina pulled her right hand away and showed it to the Trauma Surgeon.

April bit her bottom lip upon seeing the Tail side on top; "So I should stay?" she asked.

Cristina plucked the coin from her other hand and shoved it inside her bag; she stood up from the bench and stared at April. "You're choice was made even before I revealed which side it landed on" she said.

"I don't get it" April said, confusion written all over her face.

Cristina smiled; "The decision has already been made the moment I flipped that coin, whatever side you're hoping to see when I took my right hand away is your choice, you just have to accept it and go from there" she said before turning on her heels.

April eyes widen in shock as she digests Cristina's words.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Jackson was hiding inside the fire exit again when Alex found him; the Ped's Surgeon cautiously approached his hunched form and cleared his throat. "Hey man, you alright?" he asked.

Jackson turned his head and saw Alex standing across from him; "Yeah" he replied.

Alex leaned back on the wall; "Today is the day" he said.

"Yeah"

Alex sighed; "I told Hunt I'm not going and Robbins is not talking to me" he said.

Jackson threw Alex a sympathetic look; "Robbins can bitch all she wants but she can't force you to do something you don't want to" he said.

"Yeah, knowing Robbins, she'll probably ban me from all of her surgeries" Alex said with a chuckle.

"She would" Jackson replied.

Alex cleared his throat; "Do you know if Kepner is going?" he asked.

Jackson let out a defeated sigh before shaking his head; "I have no idea" he replied.

"I saw her sitting on a bench outside, I think she's having a hard time deciding."

Jackson bowed his head but did not say anything.

Alex shifted away from the wall and shoved his hands inside his pockets; "Look, I know I'm not in the position to say this crap but you clearly need to hear it. If you want her to stay then just say it, talk to her man, you're her best friend and you're supposed to be there during the times she needs you most and clearly this is one of those times. She may not say it but she needs you right now man, go to her and stop hiding here, you'll do both yourselves a favour" he said before turning around and exiting the fire exit.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April just stepped out of Owen's office when she saw Jackson walking towards her direction; she closed the door behind her before letting out a small smile. "Hey"

Jackson stopped right in front of her and stuffed his right hand inside his pocket; "Can we talk? He asked seriously.

April studied Jackson's face before nodding; "Yeah, of course we can talk" she replied.

"Do you need to get back to the pit right away?" Jackson asked.

April shook his head; "No, Alex took over for me when Hunt paged me" she replied.

"Good because this will be long" Jackson said.

April took a deep breath; "I know, where do you want to talk?" she asked.

Jackson thought for a moment before smiling; "We can head to the rooftop, someone told me that if we want privacy that's the place we should go to" he replied.

April raised her brow; "Really? Who told you that?" she asked curiously.

"Torres, can we go now?"

April chuckled; "Interesting" she said.

Jackson gestured towards the elevator; "Come on" he said.

April nodded; "Lead the way" she said.

Jackson began walking and April followed.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Alex, why are you handling the pit today, where's April?" Meredith asked.

Alex tore his eyes away from the tab and turned towards his right; "Hunt paged her, looks like it's decision time" he replied.

Meredith shifted towards the nurses' station and eyed her friend; "Are you leaving?" she asked.

Alex placed the tab on top of the station and faced his friend; "No, I decided to stay"

Meredith grinned widely before leaning forward and musing the Ped's Surgeon hair fondly.

"Hey!" Alex admonishes with a smile.

Meredith pulled her hand away; "I'm glad you stayed" she said.

"I'm glad I stayed too. Do know if Yang is going or not?" Alex asked cautiously.

Meredith's smile faltered; "I haven't seen her yet and I don't have any idea if she's leaving or staying" she replied. "How about April? Were you able to talk to her?"

"I asked Apes awhile ago but she hasn't decided yet, she told me that she'll only decide after Hunt asks her and I told her she's insane"

Meredith sighed dejectedly.

Alex leaned forward and squeezed Meredith's shoulder comfortingly; "Whatever decision those two will make we'll support them Mer because we're their friends and that's what friends do" he said.

Meredith met Alex's eyes before nodding; "Yeah, we'll do that."

Alex smiled; "How bad can it be, it'll only be for a year and for sure those two will die of missing us and they'll haul their asses back before we know it" he said.

Meredith chuckled; "I hope so" she replied.

* * *

oOo

* * *

April stepped out of the elevator and began walking towards the helipad; she stopped at the middle and smiled as she savours the cold Seattle wind that's blowing at her face.

Jackson stepped beside April and smiled at her reaction; "Nice idea then?" he asked.

April turned her head sideways; "Yeah, it's nice here" she replied.

Jackson averted her gaze and stared at skyline right in front of them; "Do you remember when I told you the last time we talked that there are still things that I need to clarify" he asked.

April turned her gaze towards the skyline too before nodding; "Yeah, I remember" she replied.

"I'm ready to talk now, are you ready to listen?"

April stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "Go ahead" she said.

Jackson squared his shoulders and took a deep calming breath; "I didn't answer you the night when you told me you wanted me because I was scared" he admitted. "The truth is I have hundreds of reasons at the back of my mind and I wanted to tell you but when I opened my mouth to speak something else comes out."

April turned her head sideways and stared at Jackson; "What were you scared off?" she asked.

Jackson turned his head and met April's eyes directly; "I was scared that you're only saying those things out of shock. I'm scared that if the shock wore off you'll realize that choosing me was a big mistake and you'll regret it. I'm scared that if I let you in again and you decided that I'm not worth it you'll leave me and my world will crumble because this is the first time I ever felt this way" he confessed.

"The first time you felt that way? What do you mean?" April asked guardedly.

Jackson felt his heart thumping wildly inside his chest as his hands started to get sweaty; this is his make or break moment and there are only two possibilities playing inside his mind right now and that's it's either she hugs him or she pushes him off the building. He swallowed nervously as he took a step towards April; he lifted his good arm and gently cupped her cheek. "I'm in love with you April, I always have been. I wanted to tell you how I feel a dozen of times but my stupid pride always get in the way. I tried to mash it down and tried my hardest to forget it but I can't."

April took a step back as her eyes widen in shock.

Jackson felt a stab in his chest when April pulled away; he slowly lowered his hand and continued. "I know I've hurt you and I can never take the pain back. I've been a total asshole and there are no excuses I can use to justify what I did. I should've told you I love you when you asked me for a reason not to get married, I shouldn't have shut you down when I'm hurting because I knew you were hurting too. I know I don't have the right to ask this of you because I screwed up royally but I want a do over, I want you with me" he pleaded.

Tears fell down April's cheeks as she listens to Jackson's words; her heart is practically jumping for joy but unbridled pain is seeping in as well. She already made her decision a couple of minutes ago and she can't back out now; unconsciously she had been waiting for him to give her a reason to stay but now that he did, he's a tad too late. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat; "Jackson-I-" she paused.

Jackson stared at her expectantly.

April took a deep breath; "I'm leaving, I accepted the slot from Mass Gen..."

"Oh." Jackson gasped, clearly not expecting a different response.

April hastily wiped her cheeks; "I—I already told Dr. Hunt my decision awhile ago and I can't take it back now..."

Jackson felt the wind got knocked out of him so he took a step back; his chest felt like it was about to explode and his eyes are starting to heat up.

"I-I didn't know that you felt that way about me-I was not expecting this. I—I thought you only wanted to explain your side..."

Jackson clenched his fists tightly, trying hard to keep his emotions at bay; he then opened his mouth to speak but he can't seem find his voice.

April took a step towards Jackson and stood right in front of him; she raised both hands and gently cupped his face. "I love you too, I really do but I don't think I can give you that do over yet. I'm—I'm broken right now and I need time to pull myself together—so—so I'm leaving" she said.

Jackson closed his eyes tightly as he tries to ride the overwhelming wave of pain inside his chest; April just told him that she's in love with him too but she is still leaving. He wanted to shout and throw a fit like he normally does but the broken look in her eyes stopped him. After a couple of seconds he averted his gaze and pulled away; he cleared his throat and tried his best to smile. "I see..." he rasped.

April let her hands fall to her side and waited for Jackson to say more.

"When will you be leaving?"

"Monday"

Jackson nodded; he then stood straighter and squared his shoulders. "I wish you luck then,"

Tears fell from April's cheeks again but she hastily wiped it; "Thank you" she replied.

"I can't watch you leave so this is goodbye then..."

April bit her lower lip to hold back the sobs that's threatening to erupt from her lips; she clenched her fists tightly as she tries to rein her emotions. "Y—you're not seeing me off?" she mumbled.

"I can't-I'm sorry..." Jackson said quietly.

"But why?" April asked shakily.

Jackson threw April a sad look; "I don't want to make it harder for you" he admitted. He then let out a faint smile; "I'm barely holding it together now and I don't want to push my luck, I think I might just lose it if I see you walking away" he joked, trying to lighten up the situation.

April buried her face into her palms as a sob escaped her lips; "I'm sorry—I don't want to hurt you...I'm so sorry" she whispered brokenly.

Jackson swore internally upon seeing April's reaction to his half hearted joke; he shifted closer to the bawling surgeon and pulled her into his chest. He gently wrapped his good arm around her and leaned his cheek on her temples. "Sssshhh...Don't cry, it's alright, we're going to be alright."

April kept sobbing as she buries her face into his shoulder; she wrapped her arms around his waist as tears continuously trickled down her cheeks.

Jackson cooed as he rubs her back soothingly; "Do you really want me to be there?" he asked softly.

April nodded.

Jackson closed his eyes and tightened his arm around her; "Then I will be there" he acquiesced.

April hugged him tighter as she cries out all the hurt inside her chest; she's really leaving him and this time there's no turning back.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Departure Day:**

"Hey Apes, are you ready to go?" Cristina asked as she saunters towards the Trauma Surgeon.

April turned her head towards the Cardio Surgeon; "I still can't believe I'm leaving"

Cristina smirked; "You'll be alright. Make us proud Kepner or we'll never let you live it down" she teased good-naturedly.

April rolled her eyes before smiling; she then faced Cristina and opened her arms for a hug. "I know you don't do hugs but I'm leaving for a year so suck it up" she said.

Cristina eyed her for a couple of seconds before chuckling; she shook her head in amusement before walking towards April's arm. She hugged the red head surgeon and patted her back; "Don't annoy them too much, we don't want them shipping you back before you're really due" she said.

April laughed before pulling away; "I'll try my best" she replied.

Cristina nodded approvingly; "Do that" she said before stepping away.

"You ready?" Alex asked.

April nodded; "As ready as I'll be" she replied.

Alex braised his hands on his hips; "I know you're always perky and cheery but tone it down a bit, you don't want to annoy them on your first day. Be assertive and show them how a brilliant surgeon you are but don't overdo it, you don't want to be labelled as _a_-_know-it-all_. Follow what your mentor tells you but don't be a push over and if somebody gives you a hard time there just call us and we'll deal with it, okay?"

"Alex..."

Alex rolled his eyes before pulling April into a hug; "And stop being a cry baby, you're alone there so you have to be strong" he chastised.

April returned the hug as tears trickled down her cheeks; she pulled away and began wiping her cheeks. "I promise"

Alex smirked; "Just so you know, you're bawling is really annoying" he teased.

Meredith slapped Alex's back; "You were doing fine a couple of minutes ago and you just had to ruin it" she scolded. She then turned towards April and narrowed her eyes; "I'm still not happy that you're leaving us but I understand. I don't have to like it but like what I have said I understand" she said. She then shifted closer to April and braised her hands on her shoulders; "Call us if you need us and if you want to come home don't hesitate to let us know, okay?"

April wiped the new batch of tears that fell from her cheeks before nodding.

Meredith moved her hands downwards and squeezed April's arms; "You are brilliant with what you do so don't ever doubt your capabilities no matter what other people say."

April pulled Meredith into a tight hug; "Thank you for everything..." she whispered.

Meredith patted April's back; "You're welcome" she replied.

April pulled away; she then wiped her cheeks and painted a smile on her face. "I will miss you guys"

Cristina looped her arms with Alex's before smiling; "We'll miss your neurosis too Apes" she teased.

April laughed.

Alex then furrowed his brows; "Where's Avery?" he asked.

Meredith cleared her throat; "I haven't seen him yet but I'm sure he'll be here" she replied.

Cristina moved her eyes towards April; "Have you said your goodbyes to the others?" she asked, trying to divert the topic.

"Yep. I already said my goodbyes to Dr. Bailey, Torres, Robbins, Webber, Hunt and Shepherd" April replied.

Cristina nodded; "Looks like you're all set" she said.

"Yeah, I gue—"

The Attendings' Lounge door flung open as Jackson steps in; he stared at the rooms occupants and let's out an awkward smile. "Hey guys"

Meredith threw her friends a look before subtly gesturing towards the door; "We'll leave you to talk" she said.

Cristina nodded and began carting Alex towards the door without a word.

Meredith followed her friends and closed the door behind her.

"You came" April said.

Jackson smiled sadly; "I promised you I would"

April silently walked towards Jackson and stood right in front of him; she raised her hands towards his sullen cheeks and gently cupped his face in her palms. "I will miss you Jackman" she whispered between tears.

Jackson leaned his cheek on her palms; "I will miss you too...more than you can imagine" he replied.

April stood on her tiptoes and levelled her face with his; "I love you" she whispered faintly before pressing her trembling lips with his.

Jackson closed his eyes as he pulled April closer; after a couple of seconds he pulled away but kept his forehead on hers. "I love you" he whispered.

April closed her eyes as she lowered both of her hands towards his chest; she shakily grabbed the lapels of his jacket as she savours their last minutes together.

Jackson opened his eyes and gently pressed a kiss on her forehead; "Go" he whispered before pulling away.

April opened her eyes and pulled her hands away; she let out a teary smile before turning her back and walking away.

Jackson watched as April's back disappear from the door for the last time; once he's sure that she's out of sight, he collapsed on the nearest chair and cried.

* * *

oOo

**"_...there's just no easy way...there's no easy way to break somebody's heart..._"**

oOo

* * *

-The End-

* * *

**A/N: This my first attempt in writing a JAPRIL fic so I hope you can forgive my errors and lapses!^-^ Tell me what you think, should there be a sequel or should I stop writing it all together? Let me know, please R&R. cheers!**


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